


Life is Strange: Time Relay

by Nothing_You_Can_Prove



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Childhood Friends, Dreams and Nightmares, Eventual Pricefield, F/F, Flirting, Fluff and Angst, Gun Violence, Guns, Kissing, LIS Themes, Life is Strange Sequel, Mystery, New Cast, Non-Graphic Violence, Original Character(s), Post-Canon, References to Canon, References to Drugs, References to LIS Season 1, References to Original LIS Cast/Plot, Romance, Sac!Arcadia Ending, Some... Familiar Faces :p, Spin the Bottle, Spirit Animals, Teasing, Tickling, Time Travel, Underage Drinking, Unofficial Sequel, Visions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-11-13 01:26:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 34,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11174130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nothing_You_Can_Prove/pseuds/Nothing_You_Can_Prove
Summary: Weeks after the storm hits Arcadia Bay, another unsuspecting soul is about to discover they have too much time on their hands. (LIS sequel with OCs)





	1. Next in Line

**Author's Note:**

> In celebration of the officially announced LIS sequel (about time), AND PREQUEL NOW, YAY E3 TRAILER! (I may be a little excited, lol) I'm gonna try my hand at a sequel myself with some OCs (and possibly a few surprises :p) Consider this a preview of what I have in mind. The rest will start to come over the next couple months, I suspect.

**Prologue: Next in Line**

**Late October, 2013**

Sighing, a girl with dyed teal hair tied into a side plait - the black roots blending seamlessly with the greeny-blue dye - and dark eyes sat at the desk in her room, trying so hard to get her homework finished. It was her own fault she had so much; a procrastinator through and through.

She rolled her shoulders, glancing out of the window. Today was miserable, rain hitting the glass with soft thuds. If it was sunny, she might have a reason to prolong her suffering further. Unfortunately, that avenue of possibility had been firmly closed off. A little annoyed and starting to get a major headache, she tapped her fingertips on the desk, sighing. If only this could do itself...

Too engrossed in her attempts to get started, she almost jumped out of her skin when she felt hands at her eyes, temporarily blinding her, and a voice whispering in her ear. "Guess who?"

The teal-haired girl knew _exactly_ who it was, batting the hands away and turning around in her seat. "Ah, Violet… you almost gave me a heart attack. I swear, you appear out of thin air."

A dark-skinned, slightly chubby - or curvy as she insisted on calling it - short girl grinned back at her. The thick mane of curly hair framing her rounded face held a single red streak in the front, brown eyes full of mischief.

"You know it. I'm like a ninja, engage full stealth mode." She made some over-exaggerated motions with her hands, trying to assimilate stereotypical fighting poses, making the other girl giggle. "So, how's the 'model student gig' going?"

"Very poorly," Tabitha admitted, lamenting her lack of progress.

"I could help, you know," Violet offered, already done with her work for the day.

Tabitha gave her a skeptical look. "I get even _less_ done with you around."

Violet's face crumpled up with feigned hurt. "Ouch, blunt much?"

"Ugh, sorry," she ran her fingers through her hair, sighing, "I didn't mean to sound like a jerk. This stupid homework is officially kicking my ass; not an excuse, I know."

That made the other girl smirk, wrapping her arms around her friend from behind. "I'm used to it by now. Have time for a break? I haven't seen you all day and I miss you."

"You're so needy… and yes, I could seriously do with a break. Right now, I'm just staring at a blank screen: see Exhibit A." Tabitha motioned towards the screen, an open yet blank word document sitting there practically untouched. Giving up for now, she turned her laptop off and went over to the bed, sitting down with her friend. "I'm all yours."

"Hmm, don't tempt me," Violet mentioned with a playful wink.

"Honestly…" Tabitha muttered to herself, feeling her cheeks heat up.

Chuckling, Violet lightly punched her shoulder. "You're just too easy to tease, Tabs."

Tabitha rolled her eyes. "Sadly, yes."

"You know you love it," her friend mocked playfully, expression suddenly turning more serious. "Hey, d'you hear about that killer tornado in Oregon? Happened fairly recently, actually. Got all the hardcore environmentalists in a twist, not that I can blame them."

This was the first Tabitha had heard of it. "No, I haven't."

"Have you been living under a rock?" her friend inquired, shaking her head at how out of the loop she was. "A little coastal town got totally swallowed up, sad stuff."

"No warning?" the teal-haired girl pressed, finding it almost hard to believe.

"Nope. One minute it was clear skies and the next… BOOM, tornado time," Violet explained in her usual animated fashion, arms thrown out to demonstrate the explosive appearance.

Tabitha dodged out of the way of her wildly flailing arm like it was second nature, _more_ than used to it by now. The first few times, she'd got a black eye and busted lip. Needless to say, she'd learned her lesson fast. "That's so scary. Imagine if that happened here…"

Throwing her arm around her best friend, Violet gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Tabs, I'd protect you. I always do."

Eager to see where this conversation would go, Tabitha demanded further explanation. "How, exactly? I doubt you could scare a storm away with your death glare, as formidable as you are."

Shrugging, Violet replied, "I dunno, I can be pretty scary when I want to be."

"Yeah, tell me about it," the other girl muttered. You did _not_ want to cross someone like Violet; many people had learned that the hard way.

"It's rare for you to be on the receiving end, so I don't know what _that_ look was for," she stated, narrowing her eyes. It only took a second or two for them to return to their usual softness. "Oh yeah, keep your calendar free tomorrow."

While it wasn't rare for Violet to call a sudden meeting, Tabitha was curious to know the occasion. "Why's that?"

Her best friend gave her a disbelieving look. "Have you seriously forgotten already? Hint: it's your birthday, dumb dumb." She gave the other girl a tap on the head. "Hellooooo, anyone home in there?"

"Oh, right, yeah…" Between classes and homework, Tabitha had almost forgotten. It had been a background feature for weeks now.

Shaking her head, Violet grinned knowingly. "What would you do without me to remind you of all these important events?"

Tabitha managed an easy smile, answering truthfully. "I'd fall apart."

"Correct answer. Gold star for you." Violet stuck her thumb up in approval. "I have something special planned, and you can't say no."

Both excited and a little nervous - some of Violet's ideas were… questionable - Tabitha allowed her smile to widen. "I wouldn't anyway, you know that."

Bumping shoulders, Violet gave her friend a smug smirk. "Well, duh, who could pass up spending time with me, right?"

"Not me." Tabitha and Violet had been friends for five years now, completely inseparable. Neither girl would have it any other way.

Nodding, Violet rewarded her with an affectionate side hug. "Again, right answer. Man, you are nailing these today. Anyway, I guess I should leave you to your work. Make sure it's all done by tomorrow, or else. If you aren't at the bus stop by ten, I'm leaving you. Oh, that's ten AM by the way, _not_ vampire time."

"I will, promise." Tabitha gave her best friend a quick hug, waving as she left. Suddenly, found the motivation to get her work typed up at lightning speed.

* * *

**Next Day, Morning**

When Tabitha woke the next morning, she had a few birthday messages from her parents and friends. Responding to them, she grabbed a speedy shower and got ready in record time. She was very eager to get this show on the road. Satisfied, she dropped Violet a text.

**Tabs: On my way :)**

**Vi: about time, dude**

**Vi: was gonna come and drag you out**

**Vi: kicking and screaming :p**

**Tabs: sounds brutal**

**Tabs: no need though**

**Vi: i knew youd come ;)**

**Tabs: i'll ignore the thinly veiled innuendo**

**Vi: such a dirty mine :o**

**Vi: mind, even**

**Tabs: 10/10 texting, Vi**

**Vi: says you**

**Vi: :( dont make fun**

**Vi: cuz i got PLENTY of dirt on you!**

**Vi: anyways**

**Vi: get that cute little butt of yours over here to meet my big booty**

**Vi: pronto!**

**Tabs: okay okay… dont pop a bloodvessel**

In no time, Tabitha made it to the bus stop. She could see her friend there, waiting. When their eyes met, Violet waved her down with no shame. Rolling her eyes, Tabitha walked up to her. The other girl had a backpack on, piquing her interest. She was also hiding something behind her back, grinning.

"Tabs, my girl, look what I got…" Violet announced in a coaxing, bubbly tone, holding up two small partially see through bags containing freshly baked croissants and two small cups of coffee. "I had to literally fight through hordes of sleepy students to get these. You're not skipping breakfast on my watch!"

"Your girl, huh?" Tabitha repeated, taking the offering, her stomach rumbling at the delicious scent.

"Yeah, you so are," Violet confirmed. "I'm not letting anyone else get their hands on you, especially not on your eighteenth birthday. Who knows what they'd do to you." Her words were laced with suggestion.

Rolling her eyes, Tabitha took a sip of her coffee. "Oh, and I'm sure you won't do anything."

"Depends, doesn't it?" Violet mentioned between bites of her croissant.

Tabitha was never quite sure whether Violet was joking around just to embarrass her or not. Some days, she was obviously trying to get a reaction. Others, she passed them off as a joke, but they seemed... more serious? Maybe that was just wishful thinking…

Blushing at that stray thought, Tabitha tried her best to make sure it didn't show. Unfortunately, her best friend picked up on it immediately, years of practice coming into play. "Oh, got you thinking, huh? Honestly, such a dirty mind."

"Says you," she muttered, unable to come up with a witty comeback.

"Guess you're rubbing off on me." Violet grinned teasingly, her deep brown eyes flickered with mischief. "Enough about that… for now, I have a surprise with your name on it."

They had enough time to hungrily devour their breakfast and throw away the evidence before the bus pulled up. They both got on, sharing Violet's iPod for the entire journey. They jiggled around, giggling at the playlist made for shared voyages like this - full of feel good tunes. Several other passengers gave them funny looks, but the two girls were totally oblivious to the disapproval. After half an hour, they got off at an all too familiar stop near the local woodlands.

Violet spread her arms out once the bus pulled away. "And here we are, out childhood haunt."

Tabitha knew this forest like the back of her palm, so many fond memories. "I should've known."

Bumping her shoulder, Violet grabbed her hand as she led her deeper in. "Try not to sound too excited."

"I really am, seriously," Tabitha reassured, getting a better hold on her friend's hand. "I can't think of a better place. Or a better person to be with."

It took them a few moments to reach their usual spot, nearby a clearing. They got set up, Violet pulling a blanket from her bag and some snacks.

Tabitha was actually impressed by her forward thinking. "Oh, you have come prepared."

"Someone has to be," she added, pouring some juice for her friend into a plastic cup.

They took a moment to relax, listening to the sounds of nature. Tabitha finally broke the silence. "I almost forget how peaceful it is around here."

"Until we get here," Violet mentioned with a wink.

With a grin, Tabitha decided to tease her friend back. "More you than me."

Sighing, Violet shrugged. "I guess somebody doesn't want her present…"

"No fair. Gimme, gimme." Tabitha reached out towards her, clenching and unclenching her fists, signaling for her to hand over the goods.

Smiling, Violet pulled a wrapped gift from her bag. "I'll let it slide just this once. Only for you."

No patience, Tabitha ripped the paper off the small box and took off the lip. Inside was a thin woven bracelet - three strands of teal, golden yellow, and creme - with a golden 'T' hanging from the teal thread and a silver 'V' from the yellow one.

Tabitha held the bracelet in her hand, staring. "Vi, this is…"

"Great, I know. See, I made one too." She held up her arm to demonstrate, showing a vibrant purple, red and blue matching bracelet, this time with a 'V' dangling down from the purple band, another golden 'T' on the red strand. "I know you're a sentimental sap, so I thought this would hit the spot."

Unable to find the words, Tabitha gave her a huge hug. "Thanks, Vi, these are perfect."

"Here, let me help you get it on." Violet motioned for her to hold out her wrist left wrist - Tabitha's dominant hand - and attached the handmade bracelet. Her fingers lingered a second longer than they needed to, something the younger girl noticed. "There, _now_ it's perfect."

Inspecting the now secure bracelet, Tabitha smiled. "Now you've officially raised the bar on gift giving."

Returning the smile, Violet leaned back on her hands. "Well, you have a while to figure something of equal awesomeness out." Her eyes focused on the bracelet for a moment, looking up to flash her friend a cheeky grin. "Think of all the things you can legally do now you're eighteen."

Knowing what her friend was thinking without even having to ask, Tabitha shook her head. "I wonder which of those you're most fixated on…"

"How dare you imply such a thing!" Violet exclaimed, shoving her best friend's shoulder with playful indignance, "...however true it might be."

Not taking the bait, Tabitha nudged her friend with her foot. "I plan to spend my birthday the same as I do each year… chilling with my best friend."

"You are just too cute sometimes, Tabs. No, make that _all_ the time," Violet corrected, really pushing. It felt a little harder than usual, maybe…

"Aw shucks, you'll make me blush." As much as she tried to pass it off as a joke, Tabitha did find herself blushing despite her best efforts.

Violet motioned for her to get closer, snapping a quick picture of the two of them to commemorate the day; the first of many.

"Maybe that's the point, ever considered that?" Violet posed with a broad, toothy grin, happy with the picture she had taken.

The other girl nodded knowingly. "I figured as much. You always did love teasing me."

"What if… it wasn't just teasing?" the other girl asked softly, her question uncharacteristically hesitant, almost too quiet to hear.

Before Tabitha could press for more information, the pair heard muffled voices coming from just up ahead. Exchanging worried glances, they kept low in the undergrowth and went to inspect. There were two figures, having some kind of heated discussion. Well, more of a one-sided hostile exchange. One person was backed up against a tree, the other approaching them menacingly, something in their hand.

It took a moment for Tabitha to realize she knew the first person, a kid from her class - Eric Lawrence. The poor guy looked terrified, eyes focused on the other person threatening him. It was impossible to tell who it was since she couldn't see the face, covered by a hood. Tabitha's eyes went wide as she noticed what the hooded figure was holding… a gun.

"What the hell is this?" Violet asked in a whisper, tensing.

Before anyone could say or do anything, Tabitha took a deep breath. She couldn't just sit by and watch him get shot, no way no how. There was no time to lose. In that moment, she made an instinctive decision. If she could just talk them down. She _had_ to try, otherwise...

Her heart racing, she stood and called out to the hooded stranger as calmly as she could. "Hey, you don't have to-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence, a gunshot ringing out. The next few seconds happened in bullet time. Birds and woodland animals scarpered from the sound as it reverberated around the otherwise quiet forest. Tabitha opened her eyes, feeling… strange. There was something warm running along the skin of her stomach. She looked down, eyes widening as she noticed the growing red stain. When she glanced up, she noticed the figure pointing the now smoking gun at her, almost seeming as surprised.

Without warning, she stumbled back and collapsed straight into her friend's arms, the familiar voice muffled between sobs. "Tabs… stay with me… please…"

* * *

**A Few Moments Earlier…**

"I figured as much. You always did love teasing me." Tabitha expected her friend to reply with something teasing, to get her blushing. Instead, she received a very solemn look. Violet looked very shaken, like she'd seen a ghost. That made Tabitha pause, frowning. "Vi, what's wrong?"

"Shh, don't you dare move, okay. Let me handle this," Violet demanded, making no sense whatsoever.

Giving her friend a strange look, Tabitha raised an eyebrow. "Handle what?"

Without explaining, Violet grabbed her friend's arm and quietly pulled her behind a tree, staring intently with her hands firmly planted on Tabitha's shoulders. "Wait here and don't say a word or move a single muscle, no matter what. Promise me."

"Okay… I promise," Tabitha agreed as she watched her friend creep forward.

Her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as she saw what was happening ahead of her. A boy with dark curly hair, brown eyes and olive skin was pinned up against a tree. She recognized him almost immediately as one of her classmates, Eric Lawrence. Another thing she quickly noticed; he was being threatened with a gun. She wanted to call out, tell Violet to get the hell back here… but that would give away her position and maybe get her killed. Instead, she waited with bated breath, ready to run in if need be.

Part of their conversation carried over, the hooded figure speaking first. "...last chance and you blew it."

Eric whimpered, trying to disappear into the tree. "Please, please… I… it wasn't my f-"

The other person cocked their gun, pointing it directly at him. "Don't try and pin this on someone else. I don't like people who shirk their responsibilities."

"I'll… I'll do anything, just please don't hurt me…" Eric begged, sounding so pathetic.

Before they could do anything, the armed figure was tackled to the ground by Violet, the gun spinning off into the undergrowth. They grunted from the unexpected force, collapsing.

"Get the hell out of here!" Violet called to Eric, who was still stunned. It didn't take him long to get the message, running off towards the town once more.

As he fled the scene, she and the unknown assailant tussled for an advantage. After a few seconds, the pair scrambled to their feet. Violet threw a well-timed punch, connecting with the other person's face making them recoil. In that time, she ran back to Tabitha and grabbed her hand, dragging her along as fast as her legs could carry her. Of course, Tabitha didn't protest, scared out of her mind. After running for god knew how long, the pair collapsed into an undignified heap, panting heavily.

"What the-?" Tabitha began, giving her friend a questioning look, eyes widening once more when she saw the state her friend was in.

It wasn't often she saw Violet visibly scared; now was one of those times. In fact, scared was much too weak a word for her friend right now. She was shaking uncontrollably, tears streaming down her cheeks. There was a nasty looking bruise starting to form on her cheek from her fight moments ago, a small cut on her brow that was bleeding.

"Vi? You ok-?" her words were cut off as Violet launched herself forwards, arms clamping around her friend's body as tightly as she could manage. Confused, and finding it hard to breathe, Tabitha choked out, "...need to breathe… Vi…"

Violet's hold loosened just a fraction, not much. "Holy shit…"

Feeling scared and a little angry now as the implications of the past couple of minutes dawn on her, Tabitha gave her friend a disapproving frown. "Why did you do something so dangerous and stupid? You could have been seriously hurt."

Confused, Violet return the look. "That's my line, idiot."

Taken aback by the serious tone, Tabitha stuttered. "What? I don't…"

Seeming extremely frustrated, Violet continued, "Tabs, you did the stupid thing first."

Still not knowing what she was being accused of, the teal-haired girl pressed for further explanation. "What did I do exactly?"

"You tried to talk that asshole down," Violet stated, equal parts scared and angry.

This _really_ wasn't making any sense. "No, I didn't. Violet… what are you talking about?"

The question made her expression soften. "So… you don't remember?"

"Remember what?" Tabitha pressed, not sure what she was going on about.

Exhaling deeply and considering something in great depth, Violet met her gaze. "Right, this is gonna sound crazy, but… you trust me, right?"

"Of course I do," Tabitha replied without hesitation. "You don't even have to ask."

"I… this wasn't the first time that scene played out. It happened before. That time… you tried to stop whoever that was by talking to them and… they shot you," Violet whispered these last few words, tears threatening to fall once more.

Tabitha had never seen her friend like this in all the years they had been together. "Then, shouldn't I be injured or something?"

"Yes, you should be." Something in Violet's eyes shifted, dark realization. Her voice became somber and low. "I panicked, and… then something weird happened and we were back in the bushes, hiding. I knew what was going to happen so I… that's why I did something so stupid."

"You had a vision?" Tabitha asked, thoroughly confused. She desperately wanted to just accept what her friend was saying, but...

"No, it wasn't a vision. It was… real. So real…" Tears began welling up in her dark eyes once more. "I thought…"

"Hey, hey, it's okay…" she cooed, stroking Violet's hair like she always did when her friend needed calming down. It worked wonders, although the poor girl was still shaking something fierce. "I'm here. I don't know what happened, what you saw, but I'm alive and well." She glanced around, worried about coming face to face with the mysterious assailant again. "Come on, we should go before that person finds us."

Both girls got to their feet, retreating from the forest and back to school. The whole way, Violet refused to let go of Tabitha, scared her friend would suddenly disappear. When they finally got back to safety, they made their way to their dorm on campus.

When they got to the girls' floor, Tabitha realized her friend didn't want to part ways. If anything, she clutched on tighter. Instead of forcing her away, the younger girl led them both back to her room. It was a mess, but that was the last of their concerns right now. In all honesty, Tabitha herself was a little rattled and could do with the company.

Not really up to much else, the two girls got snuggled up in the mountain of blankets and pillows on the bed. Today felt… different, both still shaken up. Being together like this helped a hell of a lot.

"Tabs…" a soft voice called out.

"Yeah?"

Violet turned over to face her friend. "I was… really scared today."

"Me too. What a birthday, huh?" Tabitha exhaled deeply, wondering if this morning had been a weird dream.

"Yeah…" Violet whispered, letting the silence hang between them.

"Let's forget that last part happened for now, okay? We had a great picnic, I loved my present and-" Tabitha's voice cut out part way through when Violet gave her an unexpected kiss on the cheek.

"Happy birthday, Tabs," she muttered as she gently played with the bracelet on her friend's wrist.

Not sure how to respond, Tabitha simply snuggled up closer, lightly bumping foreheads. Neither of them spoke, eyes closing gradually for an afternoon nap. They sure as hell needed one after the morning they'd had. Explanations could wait.


	2. Time and Time Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, welcome back. So, here's the next chapter for you (I finished it way earlier than expected, so you may as well have it). Hold onto your hats!

**Chapter One: Time and Time Again**

_A loud gunshot piercing the silence, birds and other woodland creatures fleeing from the sound, among them an almost translucent red fox. Seconds ticked by in slow motion, the implications of the fired bullet coming to light. Blood seeping through clothing, shock from all parties involved._

_Someone collapsing into concerned arms, eyes widening at the aftermath. Whispered reassurances and silent prayers. Tears splashing onto skin, body shaking. Eyes unfocused, breathing ragged. Life force gradually fading away._

_Then… the scene reset itself; a second chance to prevent chaos._

* * *

" _It's time…" a whispered voice echoed in that darkness as a scene began to emerge._

_Wind whipping violently, a swirling mass rapidly approaching a small, coastal town. Two girls stood on a cliff top, watching hand in hand as the tornado continued its warpath. Their faces were shrouded in shadow, impossible to map out their features. The only visible aspect, a vibrant flash of blue and finally… a pair of tired, tear-filled eyes. It was clear even from the brief encounter that they had seen way too much…_

_They almost seemed to be looking straight into her soul, sending an unspoken message: this time would be different._

* * *

Violet's eyes opened abruptly, a cold sweat forming on her brow as she struggled to catch her breath heart racing with panic. It took her a few moments to realize where she was, not in her room but in Tabitha's. The younger girl was still fast asleep, clutching on loosely.

She exhaled deeply, trying to relax back into the mattress. The weird dream – or nightmare might be a better word for it – played through her mind. Of course, the first part was painfully familiar… the moment Tabitha had been shot. That was something she would never be able to erase from her mind for as long as she lived. The second, that was a complete mystery. She didn't recognize the area or the people involved at all.

Her phone went off with a text, interrupting her pondering. Careful not to wake her sleeping friend, Violet reached over to checked who was trying to contact her. She frowned, not knowing the number.

**Unknown: Eric here, guy from earlier**

**Unknown: asked around for your number**

**Unknown: we need to talk**

That made sense, considering what they had seen. If he hadn't been in touch, Violet would've cornered him sooner or later. Both she and Tabitha needed some serious answers, and he could provide at least a few.

**Violet: Yes we so do**

**Unknown: meet me out by the benches behind the dorm building**

**Unknown: ten minutes**

**Unknown: make sure you aren't followed**

**Violet: I'll be there**

With the date set, Violet gathered her thoughts on recent events. These past few hours had literally changed everything, tipped her world – and Tabitha's by extension – upside down. At that thought, she turned to her best friend. The younger girl seemed close to waking thankfully, avoiding more drastic measures. Rousing her friend from sleep was like trying to revive the dead. Her dark eyes flickered open, confused and sleepy.

"Vi…" Tabitha's sleepy greeting was drowned out by a huge, gaping yawn.

Under different circumstances, Violet might tease her. Not now. "Tabs, hun, we need to get moving. Eric wants to talk about… what happened earlier, I think."

That was enough to get Tabitha into gear. Normally, she was terrible at waking up, literally taking forever. Today, she had a grim incentive. The pair got ready quickly, heading out of the dorm building. It was still daylight, around late afternoon. Paranoia kicking in, their eyes darted around to check they weren't being followed.

"Feels like a spy/ninja movie," Tabitha muttered under her breath, just loud enough for her friend to hear.

"Or a horror film…" Violet added solemnly.

Giving her a worried look, Tabitha frowned with concern. "Let's hope for the former."

Soon enough, they reached the meeting point. Eric stepped out from behind a tree, looking very nervous. He motioned for them to follow him to a more secluded spot, away from prying eyes. "I'm sure you have questions, and hopefully I can answer them for you."

Violet put her hand on her hip, staring him down. "Please, do. I'd like to know what the hell is going on."

Noticing the hostility, and Eric's sudden increase in anxiety, Tabitha put a hand on her shoulder. "Vi, chill out a little. We should let him talk first."

Violet opened her mouth to protest, realizing it was pointless. Tabitha was right, as always. "Talk, quickly."

Letting out a deep sigh, he began explaining his situation. "Okay, well my sister, Leyla, she got involved with a bad crowd around here. Drugs bad, and other things I think, _worse_ stuff. She's not the only student around here doing it, either," he paused for a moment, taking a breath before continuing, "You know Heidi?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Heidi was one of those students who practically ruled the school, made her presence known at every opportunity… not in a good way. Everyone feared her. She wasn't popular as such, more infamous, a delinquent type who somehow got away with everything. A skill she excelled at was manipulation of the truth, through put-on charm or blackmail. Whatever it took.

"She was the one who…" He made a gun with his fingers, pointing it to his own head. "Stay away from her, alright? She's bad news."

Violet exchanged a worried glance with Tabitha, knowing that her friend shared at least one class with that bully. One small miracle: Heidi probably only saw Violet that time, not Tabitha – who had been hiding out of sight at the time behind a tree. So long as she kept her head down, she'd probably be okay. As for Violet… well, she would worry about that when the time came. The important thing was that Tabitha was okay.

Shoulders slumping, Eric pressed ahead. "Anyway, I was worried about Leyla; I hadn't spoken to or even seen her properly in so long. She was very hostile and evasive when I did manage to catch her. The rest of our family was concerned, too. So, I decided to join up too, try and find out what was going on with her. I didn't want to help them but… the only way I could find her was to pretend and do what they told me to do. Nothing good…"

Tabitha gave him a sympathetic look. "That's… awful."

Violet didn't say a word, continuing to stare at the boy before her. All she could think about now was how close Tabitha had come to getting hurt… or worse, and he had been the reason. Her teeth gritted and fists clenched at that thought.

He nodded stiffly, expression darkening considerably. "It was. After searching for weeks, I still hadn't seen her to talk to and nobody would tell me anything. Then, I… messed up on a job, hence why I was being held at gunpoint. Heidi tricked me, said I could see Leyla if I met up with her in the forest. As you saw, she had literally no intent of doing that. I've never seen her like that before… so ready to put a bullet in my head. And that smile…" He shuddered involuntarily.

"She was actually going to _kill_ you?!" the teal-haired girl exclaimed.

Desperate, Eric's eyes darted around to see if anyone was listening in. "Shhhh, not so loud. I don't know… maybe? Getting rid of me would remove a major headache. I think I was coming on too strong, asking too many questions. It might have just been a scare tactic."

"What are you going to do now?" Violet asked, keeping it to the point.

"I still need to find Leyla, and I know…" He swallowed hard, steadying his nerve. "I know that you used to be friends with her, Violet. Before… all this, before she changed."

That was news to Tabitha. "You were?"

Violet gave him an unappreciative glare, making him cower, before momentarily turning to her friend. "I'll explain later. So, you want us to help you, then?"

"I know this might sound crazy, and you have no obligation to help, but… I can't do this on my own. You guys are kinda involved now, by helping me. They could come after you next," he mentioned guiltily. "We could work together, take them down and get Leyla back."

Crossing her arms, Violet gave him a skeptical scowl. "Let me get this straight. By saving your sorry ass, we're in a shit ton of danger, and you want us to put ourselves in _even more_ danger by looking for Leyla _and_ mess with these people even further? All after watching one of _my_ already scary as hell classmates point a gun at your head?"

Wincing at the biting response, Eric hung his head. "Yeah, that's about the size of it."

Violet's eyebrows knitted together in disapproval. "That _is_ crazy."

Feeling sorry for Eric – the poor guy just had a frickin' _gun_ pointed at him just hours ago – Tabitha tried to calm her down. "Vi, come on…"

In total disbelief, Violet turned to her. "Need I remind you that you were _almost shot_ because of him and you want to… we _can't_. End of discussion."

Understanding where she was coming from, but also aware of Eric's position, Tabitha tried a different tact. "You heard what he said, we might already be on their hit list. If we don't make the first move…"

"And what if they aren't after us, then what?" Violet shot back. "We're just poking a tiger with a stick. Just go tell the police or something."

"I… I can't," Eric muttered.

Shrugging, Violet took her phone out of her pocket. "Okay, then I will."

He suddenly lunged forward, trying to grab her phone to stop her. "No! Please, don't. Some of these people, they have serious connections. They _will_ get rid of you, permanently. They… they've done it before."

The implications of those words hung heavy in the air, weighing them all down. It sounded like whoever these people were, they were _seriously_ bad news.

Considering her options, Violet's jaw tightened. "So what _are_ we supposed to do?"

"Find Leyla," he repeated simply.

"Great plan. Maybe explain _how_ , then I might even give it a second of consideration before I outright refuse. Until then, no way." With that, Violet turned around and stormed off, pausing for a moment to see what was keeping her friend. "Tabs, you coming?"

Giving Eric a meaningful look, mouthing a quick 'I'll talk to her,' Tabitha followed her friend back to her room. Violet slammed her door shut, locking the rest of the world out. When that girl snapped, she went full out hulk rage mode.

"So…" Tabitha finally dared to utter, more than a little worried as she took a seat on the bed.

Her pacing slowing, Violet looked over at her friend. "Yes, I knew Leyla. That's what you were going to ask, right?"

"One of the things, yes."

Running her fingers through her wild mane of hair, Violet sighed and joined her. "We used to be friends. She was in a few of my classes and I kinda knew her before coming here, enough to talk and stuff. Then, she started acting really weird all of a sudden and she wouldn't tell me what was going on with her. We had a huge argument and… she never got in touch again, neither did I."

"I… didn't know." Not knowing such a big part of her friend's life made Tabitha feel disheartened. Violet knew she could talk to her about anything, trusted her enough… right?

Noticing the hurt in her expression, Violet sighed guiltily. "Because I never told you. I knew you'd only worry. You had enough on your plate without adding my problems into the mix."

"Vi, your problems _are_ my problems. Please, don't hide them from me anymore, okay?" The other girl simply nodded, letting her continue. "Guess it explains why you were unusually grumpy back then."

"Yeah, I guess it does…" again, Violet's eyes filled with regret, "maybe the way Leyla was acting is related to… whatever this is."

Curious to know what she was really thinking about all this, Tabitha pressed for more information. "If you were friends, don't you want to find her?"

"No," she stated outright, expression becoming less certain by the second, "yes… maybe? Ugh, I don't know, Tabs. Things got… super complicated and we said a lot of hurtful things to one another. Some things you can't unsay, you know? Still… if she really _is_ in trouble, I…"

Seeing the confliction in her eyes, Tabitha put her hand on her friend's shoulder, voice soft and understanding. "Vi, listen to me. If there is even a single thread of your being that wants to find her, I say do it. Otherwise, you'll regret it."

"But…" Violet began, hesitating before she pressed ahead, "you nearly got hurt when we got involved with that mess – another thing I don't understand. You were there, dying in my arms and then… you were there right next to me again, alive as could be."

Feeling a little strange hearing about her almost death, Tabitha tentatively pressed for more information. "What did you do then?"

Dark eyes met in a sobering stare. "I… I begged whoever was willing to listen, prayed to every deity I could think of, to bring you back, undo everything."

Finding herself curious about this weird situation, Tabitha continued to meet Violet's gaze. "Could you… do it again?"

That made the other girl pause. "I've… not tried, so I don't know."

"Maybe we should, to see if it was a one-off thing or not. But how…?" Then, an idea suddenly popped into her head. "Okay, I'm going to do something. Then, you work your magic and tell me what I did before I do it."

"I… I already know what you're gonna do." Violet glanced away, blushing slightly. "Why would you do that, of all things…"

Surprised by that, Tabitha raised an eyebrow. "So, what did I do?"

"Shit, Tabs, you… kissed me, outta nowhere. Not gonna lie, I panicked and… watched the whole thing rewind before my eyes…" she sounded almost disappointed in herself for erasing that moment, "why?"

Surprised that her past – or was it future? – self had actually gone through with that suggestion, Tabitha cleared her throat, trying to gauge her friend's reaction. "Because I wanted to. Is that bad?"

"No, it's not that. Not at all… I just…" Violet was utterly speechless for the first time in her life. "I just didn't expect it, is all."

Trying to figure out what she was thinking, the other girl gave her an uncertain look. "Good surprise?"

"Yes," Violet answered without hesitation, faltering at her own over-eager reply. "I, uh… this is a lot for me to process."

Unable to help herself, Tabitha chuckled, feeling a little shaky. "I can see that."

Chewing her lip, Violet stared at her friend. "Did you… was _that_ just a…?"

"Vi, take a deep breath," Tabitha instructed in a calm, soothing tone. "It means whatever you want it to mean, okay? Obviously, there was an intended meaning behind it from me, so… it just depends on whether you share that or not. Let's put it this way, I'd do it again. In a heartbeat."

Biting the inside of her lip, Violet nodded slowly. "I… would, too. I just… need a little time to get my head around it. Not just that, everything really."

Admittedly, even Tabitha was confused by everything. All she knew was that she had almost died, and she wasn't going to go without letting Violet know how she really felt: Mission accomplished, in part. "Don't wait too long, then. Now, back to what we were talking about before, I guess you can rewind time? …damn, that sounds so weird. Don't know about you, but I'm kinda freaking out."

"You're not the one who _has_ it," Violet sighed, seeming to curl in on herself. "It happens in films and games and stuff all the time, but real people don't get these kinds of powers… or so I thought. How is this even possible? Am I dreaming, hallucinating?"

Shaking her head, Tabitha gently took hold of her cheek to get her to stop getting lost in her own head. "I don't think so. Whatever you did, you saved me, Vi."

Placing a hand over hers to hold it in place, Violet's eyes flicker with regretful sadness. "I wouldn't have to if it wasn't for Eric… and Leyla."

"Come on, Vi, I know you. If you don't help, you'll regret it," Tabitha stated, knowing that was what would happen, no question. Violet may not act like it sometimes, but she did care about other people. She just preferred to do it in subtle ways, not for show.

The older of the pair squeezed her hand before letting it go. "If you get hurt again, I'll regret it more."

Tabitha let her hand slid off Violet's cheek. "Well, we'll be careful. And if things do go wrong, you can fix it, right? We don't want to rely on… whatever it is you can do too much, but it's an emergency escape route."

"I… guess so," Violet conceded. "Fine, we'll do this, but I reserve the right to pull out at any time."

With her friend slowly coming around, Tabitha smiled. "I'm sure Eric will understand that."

"He won't have a choice," Violet stated with unwavering determination.

"Have I ever told you that you can be super scary sometimes?"

"Once or twice." Sighing, Violet dropped Eric a text with her tentative agreement to finding his sister, demanding more specific details by tomorrow after class. "Now, can we just… chill and forget about this for now, please?"

Tabitha nodded, the pair setting up the younger girl's laptop for a non-stop movie marathon. They still had some snacks left over from earlier, now having the time and reason to chow down. Neither of them felt overly hungry, stomachs still churning from their near-death encounter. While watching the first film, Violet hesitantly took hold of her best friend's hand – proof that she was taking what Tabitha had done seriously. The other girl was happy enough to comply, resting her head on her friend's shoulder as they sat there surrounded by blankets and pillows.

So long as they were together, that was enough of an answer for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a side note, the fox as a spirit animal (this fic is set in the LIS universe, after all, gotta get that symbolism in :p) is related to overcoming difficult obstacles, adaptability and cunning. They also have an affinity with the dream world (due to their nocturnal activity).


	3. Take Me for a Spin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I seem to be on a roll with this fic for the moment. It must be all that LIS hype. Just as a side note, the school our daring duo attend is called Rosewood Academy – to avoid possible later confusion. Kudos for guessing the song used at the start (I'll give the answer at the bottom if you don't know).

**Chapter Two: Take Me for a Spin**

_**Wakin' up in someone else's bed, was what I was waitin' for** _  
_**Oh my days what have I done, she saw me sneaking out the door** _  
_**What have I been waiting for, been wasting all my time** _  
_**Watchin' my youth slip away, surely is a crime** _

_**And no, she don't know what we do in our spare time** _  
_**No she don't know that we've been up all night** _  
_**All night, all night, all night** _

_**We go on and on and on and on and on** _  
_**Never knowing where, never knowing where** _  
_**We gonna, we gonna, we gonna end up in the morning.** _

Violet groaned, fumbling around to turn off the loud wake-up call. There was a good reason why she had chosen such an upbeat alternative electronic rock song heavy on the drums and bass, however much she resented her past self for it.

Laying there, she began to feel just how numb her arm was now. Tabitha seemed to have claimed it as her own, laying on it all night. They had fallen asleep watching films, well one and a half films. They had managed to stay awake for the first one – Shawn of the Dead because they needed a little black humor – and struggled to keep their eyes open for the second… she couldn't even remember what it was she had been so out of it by that point.

Her best friend was still asleep somehow, totally oblivious to the blaring alarm. It had always been the same. The only sure fire way to wake her was with food; the smell of melt-in-your-mouth bakery goods to be more specific. Aside from that, nothing short of literally dragging her out would help – Violet had tried everything over the years. Well… one thing _did_ help a little.

Grinning, she moved her now numb arm out from under her friend, moving her fingers in preparation to warm up. She had one weapon at her disposal: Tabitha was _extremely_ ticklish. Giving her a gentle shake to check she was definitely still fast asleep – which she was – the older girl began her assault.

She got a reaction almost immediately, Tabitha crumpling up to hide from the onslaught. It didn't help her much. "Ugh… Vi…" she mumbled sleepily, one of her deep brown eyes flickering open at the rude awakening.

"Mornin' sleepyhead," Violet greeted with a fond grin. Sleepy Tabitha was always the cutest. "We have class this morning, remember?"

"Don't remind me..." the other girl sighed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and yawning. "Gotta agree with Garfield on this; Mondays suck."

"A true philosopher of our time." Violet grinned, her face scrunching up slightly as her friend spoke. "Ew, morning breath." For good measure, Tabitha deliberately breathed on her friend, making her recoil. "You are so gross."

"But you still keep coming back," Tabitha pointed out smugly. "My bet, you're secretly into it. The whole 'if I complain she'll do it more' shtick. Or in the famous words of Shakespeare: 'The lady doth protest too much, methinks'."

"Like you've actually ever read a Shakespeare play to completion, faker," Violet scoffed. Her friend was on the ball today, even though she had only just woken up. "Maybe I need my head tested if I'm willing to keep putting up with your shenanigans."

After a playful shoving match, Tabitha almost falling off the bed, the pair called a temporary truce and got up. Otherwise, they would be super late for class. They got ready in record time, had a quick morning snack for breakfast and headed off to the main part of campus together.

Concerned about yesterday, Violet turned to the teal-haired girl walking beside her. "You have Chemistry today, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," Tabitha admitted, knowing exactly where this line of questioning was going.

Violet tensed up, fists clenching. "Just keep your head down and avoid Heidi at all costs, okay?"

"Trust me, I will." The teal-haired girl had _no_ intention of painting a target on her back.

"If you need serious help, text me right away and I'll come," the older girl insisted, making sure she understood how serious this all was. Tabitha might not remember almost dying, but Violet sure as hell did. _Never_ again.

"Vi, just chill out," Tabitha coaxed her hand open again, loosely intertwining their fingers. "She probably didn't even see me before. You, on the other hand…"

Sighing, Violet's hands unclenched, accepting the handhold with no resistance whatsoever. "I don't see Heidi much, so it'll be fine. If we do cross paths, I'll just act like nothing happened and maybe she won't notice. I mean, it's not like she had much time to look at me in the tussle."

Her mind wondering back to Violet's run in with Heidi, Tabitha nodded. "I almost forgot how much of a ninja you are."

"Well, I've had plenty of video game practice… and a few years of martial arts training under my belt – my well-spent youth. Oh, and sibling tussles, too," she paused, her next few words added as an afterthought. "Okay, admittedly it's been a while since I've participated in either of those things – I know, hard to tell with all these rippling muscles -" she added sarcastically, motioning to her chubby… no, _curvy_ frame. The distinction was important, apparently, "but as we've seen, I can still throw a mean right hook." To demonstrate, she playfully punched the air, a whooshing sound audible as she pushed her fist forward with expert precision. "Besides, I have that weird rewind thing to rely on in a pinch. Not sure how it really works yet, but… it worked as a reflex before. I'll figure it out."

"I'm still worried." Heidi was proven to be a dangerous character, even before the whole gun incident. It made Tabitha anxious, even if her friend had all these tricks up her sleeve.

That made Violet smile, a little sadder than usual. "Look at us. We're a right pair of worriers, huh?"

"We are, yes. I think we have reason to be, though." That much was true, unfortunately.

When the two came to parting ways, they gave each other a tight hug that neither wanted to break from. After a few muttered complaints about them blocking the way, and a few insults the older girl was all too happy to return, Violet pulled back reluctantly.

"See you at lunch. Usual spot," she announced, in keeping with their daily meet-up schedule.

Tabitha smiled back, nodding. "You can count on it."

* * *

**Lunchtime**

The bell rang for the end of morning classes, much to Tabitha's relief. The last lesson before lunch had been Chemistry. Thankfully, Heidi didn't even give her a single glance, as usual. It seemed she really had gotten away with getting spotted; a miracle. At least Violet didn't have classes with the aggressive bully – that would make things _very_ difficult and dangerous. As expected, Eric had decided to skip this particular class. She couldn't blame him after… well, everything that happened yesterday. Avoiding Heidi should be his priority; the same went for the two girls, too.

As soon as she could, Tabitha left the classroom and headed to her and Violet's usual spot – a secluded area of the campus grounds very few ventured to. That was the reason they had chosen it. Away from the hustle and bustle of campus life, the drama. Violet was already there when she arrived, looking extremely relieved by her presence.

"I survived," Tabitha announced as she sat down.

"Good thing, too. Otherwise, I would have kicked a lot of ass," Violet replied, sounding deadly serious. Normally, she might say that kind of thing as a joke…

Retrieving her lunch from her bag, Tabitha gave more detail on her morning. "Heidi didn't even look at me once, keeping her form. Oh, and Eric didn't turn up to Chemistry class, no surprise there."

Nodding, Violet closed her eyes. "At least he has some sense in that empty head of his."

While Tabitha could understand the hostility, she tried to reel her in. "That's a little harsh, Vi."

Considering it for a moment, the older girl sighed. "Yeah, maybe you're right… guess I'm just still pissed about this whole thing." She took a large, angry bite of her sandwich, chewing with purpose.

Violet was very much led by her emotions: if she was happy, she'd jump around the room; if she was angry, she'd slam doors and scream at the top of her lungs so you knew it – there was no happy medium. All in, or nothing.

"I get it, but just try to keep that rage of yours focused on the right people," Tabitha reminded her.

It wasn't necessarily Eric's fault. Sure, he had a part to play but he was as much a victim in all this as a co-conspirator, more so actually. He seemed like a decent enough guy from what she'd seen of him so far. Given, she hadn't spoken to him much before now. Still, she could usually tell right off the bat if someone was clearly a threat and/or a jerk. Unless he was _really_ good at acting – a possibility she supposed – she would bet he was genuinely scared and wanted a way out.

Rolling her shoulders as she finished off her mouthful, Violet exhaled deeply. "Easier said than done. Eric's like the poster child for this mess…" she felt her phone vibrate, examining the text, "speak of the devil…"

**Eric: Meet me at the Jackalope after class**

'The Jackalope' was the local diner in town – the only place worth eating at honestly. It was a quirky joint, with decent prices and a cozy feel; a rare, award-winning combo. They always had some jamming tunes playing, a major bonus.

Putting her phone away, Violet gave Tabitha a serious look. "Seems we have another meeting to attend later. Hopefully, we can get the skeleton of a plan sorted out soon enough."

"With you around, I know we will. You've always been good at planning and organizing." It was almost crazy how efficient the older girl could be when she put her mind to it.

Giving her poufy mane of hair a run through, Violet managed a genuine, fond smile. "I've had years of practice, especially with you around."

"Hey, are you suggesting I can't organize myself?" Tabitha accused with a hint of playful indignance, "…because you _might_ have a point."

Chuckling, she shook her head. "Lucky for you, I don't mind. Only for you, though. Everyone else can shove it."

"Aw, how sweet of you," Tabitha chuckled, taking a sip of her juice.

It was almost like yesterday never even happened and they were just chilling out like normal. They hadn't stumbled across Eric and Heidi; Tabitha hadn't been shot and Violet never had to rewind to save her. If only…

Deep down, both girls knew their lives would never be the same after this.

* * *

**Late Afternoon, After Class**

Once class had ended for the day, Tabitha and Violet met up and proceeded to travel to 'The Jackalope'. At least they could get some food while they were there. It didn't take them long to get there by bus, only around twenty minutes.

"Here we go…" Violet announced softly as they pushed open the door to the diner.

The place was pretty empty right now, although that wouldn't last long. Various mounted animal heads lined the walls, all fake just for decoration, things like a jackalope – a mythical creature from folklore, basically a rabbit with antelope horns; fitting given the name – and coyote, interesting choice… A dartboard hung from the wall, several darts already embedded from the last game, the remnants of a score tally still visible in chalk on the side blackboard. There was a jukebox in the corner, playing a soft indie number. The furniture, such as the counter and chairs, was made of dark wood with deep red décor accents. It almost felt a bar in here more than a diner, and maybe that had been the initial intention.

They spotted Eric quickly, who gave them a solemn nod as they approached his table and sat down. "Thanks for coming."

"If it wasn't for sappy, soft-hearted Tabs, I wouldn't be here. She's always been a sucker for a sob story," Violet revealed, flopping down on the seat opposite him.

Scoffing, Tabitha sat down beside her. "Says you who literally cries at every movie ever, even if they ain't sad."

Eyes filled with playful indignance, Violet shoved her. "Hey, I'm just very in touch with my feelings. We can't all have emotional constipation or have a shriveled up black heart, Grinch style. You didn't even cry when we watched 'The Bridge to Terabithia'. That shit's sad, man. I'm tearing up now just thinking about it…"

"I did, actually," Tabitha corrected, remembering the way the pair of them had been a total wreck at the end of that damn movie, clinging onto one another and sobbing. The feels… "I think you need to check your facts first before accusing me, Vi."

A waitress came over to take their orders, thankfully breaking up the possible oncoming petty argument. It was funny; they never seemed to argue about anything serious. When it came to insignificant topics, however, they would fight tooth and nail, almost always on completely opposing sides of the fence.

Once their coffees had arrived, Tabitha turned her attention to Eric. "Okay, Eric, hit us with what you have."

He cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to ignore Violet's intense unwavering gaze. "So, I don't have much to go on."

"Already figured _that_ much out myself," the older girl interrupted, unimpressed by his preamble. "You gotta sell this to us, Eric."

Looking genuinely worried that they might leave him strung up to dry, he spoke up again in a hushed and rushed tone. "I know Heidi's majorly involved in all this, so are a few other people. We need to get as much information together as possible, however we can."

Tabitha _really_ didn't like the way his voice got lower then, almost menacing. "That sounds… ominous."

"Let's face it, we can't just walk up to Heidi and start asking everything we want to. We all know how that ended…" His expression shifted to something much less composed, frightened as he recalled his near death experience.

"So, what _are_ you proposing?" Violet pressed, getting him back on course.

He shook his head, returning to reality. "Right, right. We need… we need access to her phone, laptop, _anything_ she might use to contact someone. We can work back from there."

That idea made Violet laugh, short and sharp, mocking. "Oh, yeah, sure. Why didn't you just say so in the first place? I'm sure she will be happy to let us snoop through her phone, or hack into her laptop. Hell, she might even just hand over the password if we ask nicely."

Already getting a headache, Tabitha sighed and rubbed her temples. "Vi, enough with the sarcasm. It's not helping."

They stopped talking when the waitress brought over their food, Violet stabbing hers with a fork the second she left, making Eric jump out of his skin. "You know what's _not_ helping; that we have less than nothing to go on."

Looking pretty scared now, Eric fidgeted. "I'm not saying it'll be easy, it won't, but… if we could just get hold of something like that, we would definitely find _something_."

For some time, nobody talked, the two girls playing with their food, taking occasional bites. Eventually, Violet and Tabitha exchanged knowing glances. There might be a way to do this _without_ getting caught. It would still be risky, dangerous even. No guarantees.

"There… we'll handle it," Violet finally replied with a deep sigh.

Eric shook his head. "No, I should be the one risking the most here. I'm… they already have my number, and I have the least to lose."

Tapping her fingers on the desk – the nails of which were painted red – Violet's lip pursed, deep in debate. "Eric, listen to me. It has to be me doing this. I can't tell you why, but… it just has to be me."

He gave her a strange look but didn't question her reason for fear of getting his head bitten off. "Okay… if you insist, I won't stop you. Thank you, both of you. I know this is… well, that you don't really want to be involved in all this. I don't blame you. I wouldn't either, I _don't_. Guess I made my choice a while ago…"

Finishing her food, Violet stood and put some money down to cover her own and Tabitha's share. "The second this thing goes South, you're on your own. Got it?"

"Yes, I do," he confirmed, understanding every single word. Without exchanging another word, they parted ways. Eric stayed in the diner while they left, waiting for the right time to leave so they wouldn't be spotted together.

As they walked back to the bus stop, Violet let out an enraged grunt. "I cannot believe I agreed to that… You do realize how utterly stupid this is, right?"

Tabitha gave her friend's hand an appreciative squeeze. "Thank you, Vi. You've always been my hero. My knight in shining armor."

"What does that make you? The damsel in distress?" she asked with a smirk.

Rolling her eyes, Tabitha lightly shoved her shoulder. "Hardly."

"Yeah, you're too loud and obnoxious to be a fair maiden," the older girl added with a smug grin.

"Hey! You can go off people, you know." Tabitha playfully threatened her with a shaking fist.

"Kidding, promise. Don't hit me." She held her hands up in surrender. Her smile soon faded, replaced with a flicker of sadness as her hands returned to her sides. "Tabs, can we… just book it out of here and find somewhere to chill? I know it's getting late and all, but I don't want to go back to Rosewood just yet."

Sensing that this wasn't really an option – she could tell when her friend needed a space to chill in, away from the chaos – Tabitha agreed. "Sure, where do you want to go?"

Clearly, the older girl hadn't thought that far ahead. "I don't know. The forest is kinda… off-limits for now. I can't face it yet." She frowned at that thought, stroking her chin. "Maybe… ah, I know." A sudden wave of inspiration hit her like a gut punch. Grabbing hold of Tabitha's wrist, she dragged the other girl back to the bus stop.

"I thought you said you didn't want to go back yet," Tabitha stated, confused.

Continuing to pull her along, Violet glanced back over her shoulder. "We're not _going_ back there. There's a place close by, though. Far enough away to feel away, you know."

Still not understanding, Tabitha decided not to question it. Her feet began walking, following her friend back to the bus stop to be taken… somewhere. Violet seemed eager to get there, so it couldn't be all that bad. She tended to be the more sensible of the pair, for the most part.

Little did they know that someone was watching them leave the diner and approach the bus stop, hidden in the shadows.

* * *

**Abandoned Building Site, 10 Minutes from Rosewood Academy**

The two girls snuck through a hole in the fence surrounding the building site, checking to see nobody was around to catch them. Last thing they needed was to get hauled up for something like that.

"Is it safe here?" Tabitha asked softly, unsure about the location. It was kind of… creepy in a way, eerily quiet.

"No worse than back at Rosewood," Violet replied with a shrug once they were on the inside.

"Fair point," she conceded, following her friend into one of the houses left to rot. Despite the grim exterior, the inside was actually pretty nice.

Violet seemed to know where she was going, up the stairs and into one of the smaller bedrooms, sitting down with a sigh. There was a thin layer of dust coating every surface, untouched. On the bedside table, there was an assortment of bits and bobs – dried up makeup, trinkets, and pieces of scrunched up paper. The walls were covered in crinkled posters and messy graffiti. Some parts of the crumbling wall had avoided getting sun-bleached, suggesting something had been removed.

Tabitha was quick to join her, back pressed against the wall. "I didn't even realize this was here."

"I used to come here with Leyla sometimes," Violet revealed quietly. "When I wasn't with you, of course. Haven't been here for a while, too many memories."

The younger girl looked around the room, surprised at how homely it felt. "It's cozy."

"Yeah, it is," she muttered as she looked around the familiar room. "Feels a little different now."

Curious to know more, Tabitha tilted her head. "How so?"

Violet gave it some thought, trying to put the feeling into words. "I dunno… sadder, maybe? Bittersweet."

"Are you sure you want to stay here?" the teal-haired girl inquired, giving her the chance to get out of here if she needed to.

Shrugging, Violet leaned back into the wall. "Yeah, best place for us right now. I just gotta suck it up. Anyway, enough about Leyla." A cheeky grin tugged at her lips. "I'm here with my girl, Tabs. How could I feel sad?" Realization flickered in her brown eyes, and she shuffled off the edge of the bed. "Hey, there _might_ be some leftover beers stashed away around here somewhere. Can't promise they'll be in the best drinking state, but…"

Tabitha watched her friend check the drawers of an old, beat-up dresser. "Beers? And just how old are they?"

Pausing in her search, Violet gave her a wink. "Younger than you."

"That's reassuring."

"It'll be fine. This stuff lasts for ages. Might be a little warm, but… it won't kill you. Ah-ha!" Violet exclaimed, bringing out two sealed beer bottles. "Knew there was some still here. Emergency stash." She came back over to the bed, taking a small multi-tool from her pocket and extending a bottle opener to pop the lid, a soft hiss following opening. She held it out to her friend. "Want one?"

Eyeing up the bottle, Tabitha shrugged. "Sure, why not? Not like underage drinking's a crime or anything."

Violet rolled her eyes. "It's all relative. I mean, by UK standards we're golden."

"Uh-huh, see how that holds up in court," Tabitha added dryly as she reached for the bottle.

"Well, if you don't want one…" Violet withdrew her hand, the bottle still clutched tightly.

"No, I do. Gimme." She flexed her hand, demanding the return of the beer.

Debating not giving it to her for a split second, Violet finally caved in and handed it back. Before she could change her mind, Tabitha snatched it, almost spilling it everywhere.

"Smooth," Violet teased playfully, opening her own beer and taking a swig once she sat down again. Her face scrunched up in disgust. "Ugh, tastes better cold."

Giving the bottle an almost accusatory glare, Tabitha swirled the liquid around. "I can believe that. Hard to imagine it tasting worse."

"Give it a few sips and you won't even notice," the older girl reassured, "numb taste buds."

"I'm holding you to that." Tabitha took another sip, finding that it tasted just a little better. "Know what this reminds me of?"

"When you thought a bottle of Vodka was water," Violet replied confidently, their minds totally in sync.

"To be fair, I was really thirsty and wasn't paying much attention," the teal-haired girl defended. "And who puts Vodka in an unmarked water bottle anyhow?"

"My mom," Violet mentioned sadly, taking another sip of her beer. "Raging alcoholics don't tend to adhere to logic. Guess she was hoping my dad wouldn't notice or something." She glanced up, seeing a shift in Tabitha's eyes. "Ah come on, don't give me that look."

"What look?"

"The pity look," Violet clarified. "We all have our problems. Besides, she's getting help now. Only so long dad, my bro and me could cope… surprised her liver hasn't packed it in yet. Don't think she'll be donating it anytime soon."

"What, planning on having a transplant sometime soon?" Tabitha asked jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Pfft, I hope not. Although with everything that's happened so far…" she left the sentence unfinished, the implications clear without the need for verbal expression.

Tabitha gave her friend a grin. "Well, I can't promise my liver – I only have one of those and I kind of need it right now – but feel free to help yourself to a kidney." She motioned towards the rough area to demonstrate.

Violet returned the smile. "Aw, I knew I could count on you, Tabs."

"It only took you _this_ long to confirm that?"

Shrugging, Violet tapped her fingers on the glass bottle. "I knew before, but promissory kidneys seal the deal of best friendship."

" _One_ kidney, I hasten to add," the younger girl corrected.

Shaking her head, Violet retracted her previous statement. "Fine, _one_ promissory kidney. Better?"

"Much." It wasn't long before Violet had finished off her bottle, which gave Tabitha an idea. "Hey, wanna play 'Spin the Bottle'?"

Confused, her friend gave her a funny look. "It doesn't really work with two people, Tabs."

Not willing to back down, she persisted. "Doesn't it? I think it works _just_ fine. I mean, we don't have to play if you don't want to. Just thought it would pass the time."

Giving it a moment of thought, Violet caved in. "Okay, we'll play. Better than having to streak or something as a result of a badly thought out game of 'Truth or Dare'. We're only doing this a couple time, okay?"

"Works for me, then we can 'Truth or Dare' it the rest of the way," Tabitha arranged with a cheeky grin. "And remember, I'm the birthday girl here, so you can't say no."

Rolling her eyes, Violet smiled. "Nice try, but that power doesn't count unless it's _on_ your birthday. Last I checked, that wasn't the case. You ain't the Queen, only one birthday for you."

"Viiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii…" she whined, shaking the other girl's arm, "come on, humor me. Pretty please." Tapping into her best puppy dog look, Tabitha gave her friend a practiced head tilt.

"Let's just get the 'Spin the Bottle' stuff out of the way first. _Then_ we'll see," Violet stipulated with a sigh, shuffling onto the floor and setting up the now empty bottle. "Oh, I wonder who it's gonna land on? Such a great selection. To my right is Ms. Invisible and my left, oh look… it's Ellen Page."

Tabitha looked to Violet's left, frowning. "She's a little old for you, Vi."

"Oooh, someone sounds jealous," she teased. "Anyways, she's not _that_ much older. Don't kill my fantasies. So, who's it for you, huh?"

The younger girl simply smiled. "I'm pleading the fifth."

"You sneaky little…" Violet muttered under her breath, eyes narrowing.

"Hey, I didn't _ask_ you for yours. You just told me," Tabitha pointed out as she spun the bottle to stop further questions. Surprise, surprise, it landed on Violet.

The older girl clicked her fingers. "Damn, I guess Ellen will have to wait for my sweet lips."

Her best friend groaned loudly. "Could you have made that sound any weirder, Vi?"

She tilted her head from side to side, pretending to be in deep thought. "I _could_ if you want."

"Please, no." Tabitha shook her head, leaning in to place a kiss on the other girl's lips to shut her up. It was brief, barely a second. Her friend seemed disappointed by the brevity. "Your turn."

The shorter girl took her turn, finding the bottle a little redundant right now. She wasn't about to call it out, though. The neck spun lazily, landing almost directly on Tabitha. "Oh, Ellen, yet again you escape the embraces of my passion."

"Ugh, please stop now before I do something drastic," she begged. Chuckling softly, Violet leaned in and kiss Tabitha, a little longer this time.

When it came to Tabitha's turn again, she let her finger rest on the neck of the bottle, spinning it softly from one side to another. There was something… off about her behavior, the mood suddenly changing.

"Tabs? You okay?" Violet asked, concerned by the abrupt shift.

After a brief internal debate, Tabitha shrugged. "I was just… thinking."

"Lay it on me."

It took her a few seconds to figure out what she wanted to say and how to put it. "You do… want to do this, right? I know before you said you did, but you also said that you needed time… maybe I'm being kinda selfish here? Making you do something you might not really be ready for." She exhaled deeply. "I dunno…"

"Instead of trying to work it out for yourself and second guess me, why not just ask me straight?" Violet suggested. "You told me to tell you my problems and stuff. That works both ways, especially when it concerns us. Besides, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't want to. You're not _that_ charming or irresistible; you're hardly a Femme Fatale." That earned her a pout. "And yeah, I have a lotta things to work through, but I'll never be able to if I never try." She motioned back towards the bottle. "Come on, your turn."

Pushing the bottle aside, letting it roll across the floor, Tabitha leaned forward and kiss her once more. This time felt… different, less restrained perhaps. It was still pretty tame, only lasting a few seconds. It was a little clumsy and uncertain, but amazing all the same. They didn't speak for a few moments, both processing what had just happened.

"So…" Violet managed, leaving the rest of her sentence unfinished. What could she say?

"So…" Tabitha repeated, clearing her throat. That had been pretty impulsive, more so than usual.

Before either girl could say another word, they heard voices from outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …and we'll leave it there for next time. Just a "friendly" game of 'Spin the Bottle' ;) Such gal pals :p
> 
> More fun facts about spirit animals, whoop! (I'm going HAM on this) Coyotes are related to playfulness and adaptability. A few of the more interesting ones that… may or may not be relevant: revealing the truth behind illusion and chaos, paradoxical nature – personality difficult to categorize – and a darker side, actually considered a bad omen. Who could this be reference to, I wonder…? Hint: someone who has been mentioned before in the fic. And who is our red fox, hmm?
> 
> Anyone know the song used for the alarm at the beginning? If so, high five, bro. If not, it was Alex Clare's 'Up All Night' (the dude who did 'Too Close' – used in a Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 ad a few years back). I would highly recommend his stuff, it's some good shit (especially the first album, The Lateness of the Hour). Music plug end. I might add a few other songs in here and there (since LIS is full of 'em). And I'm always happy to share my music taste. Have a great day and see ya next time.


	4. Not So One of a Kind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to throw a spanner in the works, as it were. Wouldn't be an LIS sequel without the drama and confrontations now, would it?

**Chapter Three: Not So One of a Kind**

Violet and Tabitha froze, not even daring to breathe. Someone was down there, at least two people from the sounds of it. This place was a breeding ground for dodgy deals and sketchy activity. If they laid low, maybe, just maybe…

"Come on out, I know you're in there," a painfully familiar voice called loudly and clearly, sounding very serious. "Don't make me come in there and find you. You _don't_ want me wasting my time. I'm not messing around, alright."

The pair recognized the low, gruff, demanding tone almost immediately… Heidi Knox, the school's bully, and almost killer. Quite the messed up resume.

Violet exchanged a worried glance with Tabitha, trying and failing to keep her cool. "Tabs, it's not working."

"What?" she whispered back, keeping her voice as calm and steady as possible… not very.

Turning pale, Violet swallowed hard before repeating herself, this time with more detail. "The weird rewind thing, it's not triggering. I'm trying but…"

"And don't even think of trying to escape. If I see anything move without announcing itself." They heard a loud gunshot from outside. "The next bullet will have your name on it. I know which building you're hiding in, only one exit, so don't keep me waaaaaiting." She sounded like she was having too much fun with this deadly game of cat and mouse.

Exhaling deeply, Violet came up with a Plan B. She didn't like it, but they had no choice. "Okay, okay… let's just play it cool. We go out there, don't antagonize her and… if things _do_ go down, this damn rewind will kick in, hopefully."

"Guess we don't have much choice," Tabitha agreed tentatively, getting a very _bad_ feeling from all this.

Nodding, the pair slowly made it down the stairs and out to the front of the house they had been in. They saw Heidi almost immediately, another girl stood just out of the way.

Heidi was tall and pale, with long mousey brown hair and sharp, unforgiving blue-gray eyes. Her dark jeans were ripped and frayed, tucked into worn boots. A short sleeve shirt, a generic rock band style with skulls and blood red roses, was half tucked into the waistband of her jeans. Over it, a black biker jacket with three-quarter length sleeves. She was tatted up to the max, the most obvious being some kind of wild dog on her left forearm – teeth bared in a snarl. Hanging from her neck was a sharp animal canine tooth on a silver chain and she had several piercings – one on her left eyebrow and an industrial bar twisting like a snake through the top of her right ear, alongside a couple other more basic piercings on her ears. She wore several rings on her right hand, black and silver. All in all, her appearance was threatening, especially when coupled with the wild, almost demonic resting expression.

She spread out her arms in welcome as they reluctantly left the house, a twisted smirk plastered to her face. "Glad you could finally join me."

"Heidi…" Violet muttered through gritted teeth.

"Ah, come now. There's no need for such… hostility. Violet, I believe you know my associate," she turned to the shorter, green-eyed strawberry blonde girl beside her, "right Lonnie?"

Lonnie Hartmann was in Violet's English class. She was quiet, kept to herself. Knowing that she was involved with someone like Heidi was surprising. Out of all the people it could've been, she would be their very last guess. In all honesty, she didn't look too thrilled to be here – refusing to make eye contact and shifting uncomfortably.

With her captive audience now assembled, Heidi cracked her neck and knuckles menacingly. "Now, I don't know what that nutcase Eric has told you, and before you try denying it I _know_ he's been talking to you about things he isn't supposed to – nice little meeting you had in 'The Jackalope', but he's delusional."

"Yeah? How so?" Violet asked, buying herself time to come up with an escape plan. They already knew Heidi was packing heat, making this so dangerous. In a pinch, she _might_ be able to use her multi-tool as a weapon… bringing a knife to a gunfight.

That made the other girl smile. "I'm glad you asked. It would be good to clear up any… misunderstandings, don't you think?"

Tabitha found her voice, asking the question they most wanted an answer to. "What about Leyla? Where is she?"

Shrugging, Heidi ran her fingers through her hair. "Leyla just wanted to get away from an overly strict and possessive family. Nothing new."

"You didn't answer the question," Violet observed, tired of cryptic half answers.

Heidi considered that for a moment or at least pretended to. "No, I guess I didn't. And I'm not going to, either."

Unimpressed, Violet crossed her arms. "Then how are we supposed to trust you, what you're saying?"

That made the other girl laugh, short and sharp. "Trust… ha, trust is irrelevant. See, this is how it works: you accept what I tell you. End of. But I see you're not convinced. Shame, I didn't want to have to do this…"

"Wait, don't," Violet pleaded, eyes suddenly wide and watery with unshed tears.

The change was instant, worryingly so. There was only one explanation… she had already seen how this would go down and rewound. Tabitha could only guess that it wasn't a good outcome.

"Hmm? Don't what?" Heidi asked, tilting her head with curious amusement.

Something shifted in Violet's expression then, dark and somber. "Please… don't do what it is you're thinking of doing."

"Sounds like you already know. Guess you're more used to these shakedowns than I thought. Surprising. Fine, I won't…" she examined her nails before focusing back on Violet, "on one condition."

"Name it," Violet agreed, no hesitation. Whatever she had seen happen, it had spooked her.

"Simple." Without warning, Heidi took a step closer and gave her a solid backhand across the cheek, knocking her to the ground.

"Vi!" Tabitha shouted out, going to move on instinct.

In one swift motion, Heidi pulled a gun out of her waistband and pointed it right at the teal-haired girl. "If you take a single step closer I will shoot one of you. I haven't quite decided which yet…"

"N… no, Tabs, stay…" she coughed, wincing as blood ran down from her nose, "stay back…"

"See, someone gets it." Heidi crouched down, grabbing a large handful of her dark mane. "Now, listen up, bitch. You see this bruise on my face?" She pointed to her injury with the barrel of her gun. "You did that. But I get it, you made a mistake, right? You couldn't see the full picture, so I'll go easy on you. Next time, I won't be so forgiving. My advice: stay outta my business." Giving her one last twisted smile, Heidi let go of Violet's hair. "Oh and don't do anything stupid like tell someone what happened here. Even if they _do_ by some miracle believe you and I go down for it, my… friends will make sure to repay the favor."

With that, she rolled her shoulder and walked away as if nothing had happened. Lonnie gave Violet and Tabitha one last apologetic look, shaken up herself, before following Heidi.

Once she had left, Tabitha rushed to her friend's side. "Vi, what the… why didn't you fight back?"

Violet focused on her, looking terrible. Blood ran down from her nose, her cheek was red, bruised and cut – the metal rings on Heidi's hand catching her skin when she was hit. Her voice came out strained, fighting back the tears. "I did… I tried and… each time she… you got hurt or… it was just better to let her… do what she had to do. Like I… said, I tried to… rewind before but… it didn't want to work. Something's… gotta trigger it… Shit, you got shot… again… in the leg…" She inhaled sharply, hot tears streaming down her cheek.

Tabitha latched onto her friend, hugging her so tight as she sobbed. "Oh, Vi… I'm sorry. I convinced you to do this and now…"

"Tabs, please… don't blame yourself. I can't… deal with that shit right now," she pleaded, pulling herself together enough to speak again. "There's a first aid kit… inside. Leyla was always… hurting herself." Taking the hint, Tabitha helped her to her feet and led her back inside. She carefully rested her on the couch, retrieving the kit. "Just need to… clean it up. Stick a… band-aid on it…"

Tabitha found it and brought the kit back over, beginning to gently clean the wound, Violet wincing. Compared to what could have happened, this was probably one of the better outcomes. Still… this was the second time the older girl had been involved in a punch-up, this time very one-sided.

"Oh, now… that asshole's made it _personal_ …" Violet muttered as Tabitha dressed the wound for her. "You don't purposefully, or accidentally for that matter, threaten _my_ friends… and get away with it. No siree."

"Cool it, Hulk, you need some rest before you go on a rampage," Tabitha muttered soothingly, brushing her friend's thick hair back out of her eyes and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

She took a long, hard look at her battered friend. Violet didn't deserve this. Nobody did, but _especially_ not her, not now. First, the poor girl had witnessed her childhood friend getting shot, then unlocked some weird rewind powers, became involved in something sinister involving an ex-friend and… saw her friend get shot yet again. It was all too much.

"Vi…" Tabitha whispered, feeling the tears well up in her eyes again.

The older girl's expression softened, reaching up to wipe the tears that had started falling from her friend's eyes. "Oh, Tabs, please don't cry. You'll get me started again and neither of us wants that. We'll figure all this out somehow, hopefully with less getting slapped in the face or shot. That would be great," she added with a flicker of humor, trying to get her smiling again.

Tabitha nodded, giving her a brief and tender kiss. "We'll get through this, together."

* * *

**Thirty Minutes Later - Rosewood Academy – Violet's Room**

Once Violet had felt up to it, the pair returned to Rosewood. They made sure to avoid Heidi, who thankfully didn't seem to be around. God only knew where she was now, no doubt causing trouble and immeasurable suffering. Exhausted, they decided to have a nap again to combat the worst of the morbid excitement of today.

Tabitha fell asleep the second her head hit the pillow, snuggled up tight to Violet. It took a little longer for the older girl to sleep, her mind whirring with what had happened… Once again, she had nearly lost Tabitha.

Eventually, she managed to drift off.

* * *

_A bullet time slideshow… a blue-haired girl getting shot and the scene reversing. One missing girl. Snowfall up by a lighthouse. Train tracks. A rooftop rescue. Solar eclipse, unexpected. Midnight swimming. Dares. Betrayal and regret. One_ _**huge** _ _change – a mistake, soon undone. Death, over and over again; reversed. A barn, an underground bunker… so many red binders… grotesque and sickening photos. Overwhelming grief and loss. A desire for vengeance. Two moons. Even more death and destruction. Desperation. Traveling back and forth to make things right; a balancing act doomed to fail. Snippets of disjointed conversation throughout… all concluding with a deadly storm._

_One final decision…_

_In an instant, it all faded away, darkness overwhelming the scene as the tornado grew in size and ferocity… silence._

_Then, an echoed whisper, the source impossible to identify in the dark swirling void. "…we gonna do now…?"_

"… _find them… fix this…" Another voice entered the conversation, providing a broken answer. It was clearer than the first, not by much but made them distinguishable._

"… _don't even know where…" the first voice replied, sounding frustrated._

_A pause, followed by pleading. "…could change everything… have to try… can't give up…"_

" _Yeah, you're right…" the initial voice conceded, a little louder than before._

_The second seemed to be considering something, possibly conflicted. "…don't know if… work… gut feeling…"_

"… _worked on less before… together, nothing else matters…"_

" _Together," the second voice repeated, loud and clear. From the sounds of it, a young woman, soft-spoken._

* * *

As the weird dream/nightmare/vision – take your pick – came to an end, Violet's eyes opened. She had seen so much that it was almost impossible to even _begin_ deciphering its meaning. The people she had seen this time… they felt familiar somehow. Maybe the same people who had been in the first vision she had seen, with the tornado? This time, she had a slightly better look at them – two girls she suspected, although it had been hard to tell for sure – one tall with blue hair and the other a short brunette. Their faces had still been blurry, hidden, but that was a better description than she had before.

Who were these two girls? And why was she seeing all this?

Her internal pondering was interrupted by a knock on the door. Tabitha was still asleep, once again taking complete ownership of Violet's arm. The older girl managed to free herself from her clutches and got up to answer the door.

When she opened it, she saw a short girl – shorter than Violet – with a strawberry blonde bob and soft, sad green eyes. "Lonnie?"

Lonnie gave her a sheepish, nervous smile. "Hi, Violet. I… Heidi is out right now so I… wanted to talk. While we had the chance."

Debating it for a moment, Violet sighed and stepped aside. "Come in."

The other girl nodded, entering the room and shutting the door behind her. Her eyes focused on Tabitha for just a moment – who was still out for the count – before turning her attention back to Violet. "You… feeling okay?"

"All things considered," Violet replied without emotion, motioning for her to take a seat on the couch.

Hanging her head, Lonnie took the seat she was offered, wringing her hands. "I'm… so sorry about what happened to you. That's… not right."

"And yet even knowing that you stood by and watched," Violet replied, trying to keep her voice calm. Her eyebrow started twitching from the contained anger.

Lonnie winced at the harsh edge to her voice. "Yes, I did. I won't sit here and make excuses here, but I had my reasons. Firstly, if I _had_ intervened, Heidi would've beaten you up more to make an example out of disobedience. Secondly… I _really_ need the money they're giving me. Without it, my family can't pay for my dad's medical bills," she explained sadly. "Until now, I've just been dealing with their admin and stuff. Brains, not the brawn. This was my first time seeing… someone actually get beat up… and someone who wasn't even part of the turf wars these people have going on…"

Suppressing her desire to shout at Lonnie, it sounded like she didn't really want to be Heidi's plaything, Violet instead asked her a question. "How'd you get involved in all this, anyway? You don't seem like the type."

"Honestly, I'm not. A…" she hesitated before continuing, "friend, I guess you could call her, convinced me to join up. Said I could make more than enough money to pay for my dad – not a lie, in all fairness. It just comes at a heavy price."

"Who told you about it?" Violet pressed.

Lonnie gave her a solemn stare. "Leyla Lawrence."

Violet's eyes widened a fraction. "You know Leyla?"

Nodding, Lonnie explained the circumstances of their acquaintance. "We had a couple classes together and she seemed nice. I mentioned about my dad and… she said there might be a way to get the money. I think she was genuinely trying to help me when she suggested it. She'd only been involved with the group for a couple weeks by that point… before it broke her. That's what they do: start you off small and then build you up slowly and before you know it… you're their own personal attack dog."

Eager to know more, Violet pressed further. "When was the last time you saw her? Is she okay?"

"Oh, I… don't know…" Lonnie thought it over for a few moments finally giving an uncertain answer, "at least a week ago or so ago, maybe longer. Honestly, I've lost track of time. Each day blends into one. I have no idea where she is or what she's doing. Last time she seemed… different. Not a good different, either. You know, you're not the only person to ask after her."

"Eric, right?"

"Yeah, poor guy," Lonnie's face fell, eyes closing as she sighed. "Listen I… I can't help you. All I can tell you to do is stay away from the abandoned lumber mill on the outskirts of town. You hear me. _Stay_. _Away_. That place, it's dangerous and has a lot of… things that don't want to be found." The emphasis she was putting on her words was strange.

Understanding that this was a not-so-subtle clue, Violet gave her a tired smile. "I got it. Thanks, Lonnie."

"Don't thank me yet. You might regret my warning." The way the other girl said this made Violet shiver involuntarily. Her once dark face returned to its normal slightly worried expression in a heartbeat. "Sorry again and… good luck with whatever it is you're trying to do. If… if you're ever in a real pinch, get in touch. And watch your back. Heidi is highly volatile; she needs _serious_ help."

"Don't we all," Violet mentioned dejectedly. "You stay safe, too."

"Sad, but true. And I will." Having said everything she wanted to say, Lonnie left.

When the door closed, Tabitha stirred, her eyes flickering open as she mumbled a sleepy, "Was someone just here?"

"Yeah, Lonnie. She came to apologize and… give us a lead. Apparently, we should 'stay away' from the old lumber mill," Violet explained, the new information swirling in her mind. She let her friend wake up properly before she said anything else. "Tabs, look, I've been having these weird… visions, I guess you could call them."

The younger girl sat up, stretching and rubbing at her eyes. "What are they about?"

That was a good question. "I'm… not sure, actually. There are two people who keep coming up, though – chicks, maybe. I think… one of them has a power like me... maybe… it's hard to tell."

Tabitha seemed deep in thought, mulling it over. "Hmm… maybe it's a message? Some invisible time traveler communication frequency or something. Like, telepathy."

Violet snorted at that suggestion. "Oh yes, because I don't have _enough_ weird powers as it is. The first time, I saw a huge storm and two people just… watching it get closer to the shoreline, ready to swallow up a town whole. The second, a kinda disjointed slideshow, all jumbled and confusing. Then, maybe the same people again trying to look for… something or someone. I could only hear snippets of a conversation. They sounded pretty desperate, though."

"Hey, wait a sec…" Tabitha interrupted, "didn't you say something about a _massive_ tornado in Oregon before?"

Violet nodded. "Yeah, it was all over the internet and stuff… wait, you think it might be related?"

Shrugging, Tabitha began playing with the ends of the woven bracelet Violet had given her the other day before they got involved in all this. "What if you're _really_ not the only human time machine out there? If there's one, it's not hard to imagine there being more. Messing too much with time _could_ lead to environmental disturbances. Might explain why it came without warning."

"If they had my power, why didn't they try to stop it, then? If I saw a huge tornado about to destroy somewhere, I'd rewind the shit outta it and warned people or something. Try, at least. They just… stood there. Watching." The haunting image of those blue eyes pushed itself to the forefront of her mind.

"Maybe they couldn't," Tabitha suggested. "Maybe they tried already and it just… didn't work."

"Maybe…" Violet didn't know what to think anymore, "this just keeps getting more and more complicated. That's all I know right now for certain."

"Agreed. At least we have a few options now. We have to get access to Heidi's phone and laptop somehow, maybe not relying on your rewind unless we get in major trouble – hopefully _never_ again – and we have Lonnie's lead, too," Tabitha mentioned hopefully. They were closer to answers than before, at least.

Exhaling deeply, Violet turned to her best friend. "I don't like this, Tabs."

"Glad we're on the same page there. We've started this, so we should end it," the teal-haired girl stated with determination.

Equally resolute, Violet nodded in agreement. "I'm not going to let Heidi get away with this. No way, no how. We're gonna beat that bully down, find Leyla and… do whatever else we have to do off our ever-growing list of impossible tasks," she summarized, getting things clear in her head, adding as an afterthought, "Oh, and not flunk class, too. Nothing worse than getting expelled, right?"

"Okay, Hermione Granger," Tabitha chuckled, picking up on the subtle reference as she laid back on the bed. "Who knew student life could be so hectic and life-threatening?"

Her friend joined her, staring at the ceiling as their hands loosely intertwined. "We do, now."

Violet kept thinking back to the girls from her vision. Who were they? And how did they fit into everything? How did they relate back to her and Tabitha, if at all? So many questions without answers…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Violet's powers only work in certain situations, when there is a definite catalyst (twice now where Tabs got hurt and once when she had an internal freakout). A little different from our dear Max – who could rewind whenever – I wonder why? And what's the deal with all these dream/visions? Stay tuned to find out…


	5. For Fox Sake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So, yeah, I don't think this one is gonna be a super long fic or anything. Maybe around 10 chapters, maybe more. We'll see.

* * *

**Chapter Four: For Fox Sake**

**Next Day, Morning**

Even with everything going on in Tabitha and Violet's lives, they still had to play the part of good students and attend class. When they woke up the next morning, there was a loud thunderstorm outside, rain pelting the windows.

As Violet tried to tame her wild mane of hair, she gave a sideways glance to the dreary outside world. "Damn, rain's really going for it today, huh?"

"Might have to take a literal rain check on our usual lunchtime meet up," Tabitha added with a smirk.

Stopping mid brush, the older girl rolled her eyes. "I don't have an eye roll big enough for you."

Fixing up her make-up, Tabitha scoffed. "You know you love it. Me, more specifically."

"Oh, ha ha…" Violet forced out a laugh. "Wish I could deny that. Guess I'm a sucker for a nerd."

"A certain nerd, yes," Tabitha clarified with a wink. "Anyways, enough chit chat we have class to attend to."

Not wanting to be late, they headed outside, hoods on their jackets up to protect them from the rain. It had died down a little since they woke up, not much. They began speed walking to the shelter of Rosewood's main campus building.

"Ugh, my hair is gonna go wild with all this humidity," Violet complained, tucking stray flyaway strands of hair back under her hood.

"It's already wild," Tabitha pointed out, "and besides I like it when it goes on the wild side. Mine will go flatter than a pancake."

Violet narrowed her eyes. "Hey, don't dis pancakes, dude. Not cool."

When it came to them parting ways, they gave each other a hug – this time out of the way of the door.

"See you later, Vi," Tabitha whispered in her ear, giving her one final squeeze before she left. The older girl lingered for a moment, watching her round the corner before getting to her own class.

* * *

**English Classroom**

Violet lightly tapped her fingers on her desk, nearly falling asleep. She idly wrapped the red streak of hair around her finger, watching it curl up. They had a cover teacher today, a very boring one with a monotonous, droning voice. It didn't help that she had a rough night's sleep yesterday, too many things going on in her head.

Later, she and Tabitha would be breaking into Heidi's room… or trying to, at least. That would be fun, not. Thankfully Lonnie, who was in class with her right now, had promised to 'not help out' again by checking to see if the coast was clear and maybe distract Heidi if need be. It was less suspicious for her to hang around Heidi's room than Tabitha, Violet or Eric.

She wasn't quite sure what to make of the other girl, but she had to trust her for now. They had very few allies right now. Without Lonnie's help, this might end poorly for them. She couldn't rely on her rewind unless she or Tabitha were in a life-threatening situation… or a really embarrassing one as it had been in one case. Honestly, the former was more likely than the latter.

Shifting slightly in her seat, hand propping up her head, she felt her eyelid grow heavy. She struggled to stay awake, dipping in and out of consciousness.

* * *

_A scene materialized in her mind. Some kind of building surrounded by trees and a railway track running parallel. From the lack of light, it must be night time. Rain pelted the ground, small lines of water pooling where the uneven terrain dipped. Footsteps shuffled as an owl hoot echoed into the night. Wind howled, rattling the rusted hinges of the building's door. This was soon accompanied by the sound of the same door creaking open. Two figures stepped inside the decrepit place, faces covered by hoods and shadow._

_The interior was full of rotted wooden planks that groaned under the weight of footfall. A dim phone light flickered, providing partial illumination. It briefly passed over the outlines of heavy machinery, all rusted and broken – mostly huge, dull saw blades. A nest sat precariously perched on one of the rafters, teetering in the wind. While the skeleton of a building provided some shelter, there were many holes. Spider webs coated the corners, dust covering every surface. This wasn't the only sign of life, however._

_In the corner sat a small red fox, deep brown eyes pinned on the intruders. It didn't move an inch as they approached. The figures stopped when they noticed the creature, not seeming all that surprised. The fox titled its head curiously, bushy tail wrapped around its feet in a relaxed manner. It was far too calm and domesticated to be a wild fox and it almost seemed to… glow a faint red. That could be a trick of the light, though._

_The two hooded figures exchanged glances, the shorter on the right muttering a soft, "…must be the right place…"_

"… _creepy in here…" the taller of the pair replied, shivering involuntarily._

"… _not as bad as..." the voice was muffled, lost to the wind._

" _Oh, nowhere near…" the other seemed to agree sadly, "shady as hell, though… part in horror films… teens make out… abandoned building… killer finds them… SLASH!"_

" _...makes it so much better…" A flicker of notable sarcasm ran through the shorter figure's reply._

_Sighing, the taller one apologized. "Sorry… nervous… talking helps."_

"… _more of the make out… less of the serial killer…" the shorter figure pleaded as they cautiously took a tentative step closer to the translucent fox._

_The creature continued to stare, nose twitching before it shook its puffy deep red fur out and began cleaning itself. It didn't seem the least bit bothered by the people who had practically broken into its home._

_Removing the wet hood, the taller of the pair shook their head, a mess of damp blue locks. "…could be arranged…"_

" _Really? Now?" the other asked, dodging out of the way of the water droplet spray before following their companion's lead._

_The blue-haired figure shrugged, shoving hands into pockets. "…just a suggestion…"_

"… _things to do… later…" the shorter figure seemed to promise, their own hair – a light brown – sticking to their head._

" _Pinkie swear?" the other figure turned around, features briefly illuminated by the dim flashlight as they extended their finger. A young girl with mischievous blue eyes and a natural resting smirk._

_Her companion hooked a finger around, sealing the deal. "Pinkie swear… good hiding spot?"_

_The pair got searching, the blue-haired girl also switching on her phone's flashlight to help investigate the area. Once the fox had finished its washing, it watched them at work, beady eyes curious._

_After some time, the blue-haired girl gave a victorious cry, holding up a small black notebook. "…jackpot… little black book…"_

"… _stay on target…" the other figure replied, continuing their own search, pale freckled face momentarily lit up by the girl's flashlight._

"… _perfect spot… better ideas?" the bluenette asked, free hand on hip._

_Before either of them could say another word, the fox sauntered over to them and sat by the blue-haired girl's feet, staring up at her with intelligent brown eyes. It whined impatiently, ears drooping slightly. The bushy red tail patted the ground, as did its front right paw._

"… _take that as a sign… right person finds it…" the freckled figure, possibly also a young girl, announced. She tucked something in between the pages, several things in fact, the fox letting out a happy, high-pitched bark of approval. "… surprisingly instructive… nice change…"_

"… _puts your Bambi to shame…" the blue-haired girl grinned teasingly as the fox surrounded them in tight circles._

_The freckled girl rolled her blue eyes. Somehow, they felt… familiar. "…get out of here…"_

_She grabbed onto her companion's hand, leading her out with the fox following them until the door, seeing them out. The blue-haired girl gave it one last longing look. "…keep it?"_

"… _not ours… not sure we could anyway…" To demonstrate, the freckled girl went to stroke the fox, her hand passing through it. The ghostly creature didn't seem fazed at all by the hand suddenly embedded in its back. "…cold shiver… note to self: don't do that again."_

_They pulled their hoods back up and disappeared back into the darkness. The fox turned around to re-enter the barn, the dim red glow fading._

* * *

As the scene faded, Violet refocused on the classroom she was currently sat in. Thankfully, nobody had seen her doze off, hidden behind the person in front of her. She glanced up at the time, noting that this class was nearly over.

What had that all been about? She pictured the scene in her mind once more, trying to make out a location. It looked… run down, abandoned. Some rusty machinery… a rail track just visible outside…

Wherever it was, it had to be important.

* * *

**Afternoon, After Class – Violet's Room**

The rest of the day moved by quickly and soon enough, it was time for Violet and Tabitha to meet up. Making their way to Tabitha's room, the one closest to Heidi's, they sat in wait. They had a plan of action prepared; all they had to do was wait for Lonnie's signal. Eric too was keeping watch, hidden in the grounds to act as a lookout, alerting them if Heidi came back earlier than hoped.

It didn't take long for them to get the go ahead.

**Mole: you know who is out for the evening**

**Mole: some important big boss business**

**Mole: at the lumbermill**

**Mole: you probably have an hour or so snooping time**

**Mole: she may have been too busy to lock up**

**Mole: …and she left her phone too**

**Mole: maybe her laptop as well**

**Mole: both at your disposal**

**Mole: not my fault… at all…**

**Violet: thanks Brainiac**

**Mole: for what? I did nothing at all**

**Mole: I can't help you, remember?**

Smiling to herself, Violet put her phone on silent and pocketed it. "Heidi's room is unguarded and, thanks to our dear friend on the inside, unlocked. I don't know who's scarier… Heidi or Lonnie. That girl is a serious ninja. She wasn't kidding when she said she was the brains."

"Wait… why have you put her down as 'Mole'?" Tabitha asked, eyes lingering on the screen as her friend put her phone away.

Shrugging, the older girl scratched her cheek. "If someone _does_ get my phone, I don't wanna give her away. She's risking a lot helping us, so it's the least I could do. Besides, it seemed appropriate."

"Aw, well ain't that sweet. I knew you cared," the teal-haired girl teased playfully.

Crossing her arms, Violet stared at her friend. "This is not an accurate representation of my cold, uncaring heart. Remember that."

"Uh-huh."

Once Eric confirmed Heidi had officially left the dorm building, the pair moved quickly and all but dived into her room before they could be spotted.

"Great security. Thank you, Lonnie," Violet muttered appreciatively.

The room was dark, blinds drawn, and smelled strongly of weed. Empty bottles and other pieces of junk lined the floor, the bed left unmade. Various tangled leads were left around the room, desk littered with scrap paper, used mugs and a laptop. Several posters covered the walls, mostly of rock bands. There were a few photos, too, as well as some graffiti.

"Pretty sure that's defacing school property," Violet mumbled as her eyes scanned the room before turning to her partner in crime. "So, anything we can find on Leyla, or this elusive gang we keep hearing about that Heidi's part of. Wish we had a name to pin them down to."

"How about 'The Asshole Club'?" Tabitha suggested with a shrug.

Considering it, Violet nodded. "Simple and to the point. I like it. The AC it is. Okay, let's start with her phone… which has conveniently been left on her bedside table. Lonnie's a life saver." Violet grabbed the phone and began searching through the string of messages. "Let's see… aha! Here we go… got a few messages going with Leyla."

They started with some of the older messages.

**Heidi: Yo, ukuleyla**

**Leyla: What up, heidiho?**

**Heidi: Coming to the big shindig later? The whole gang's gonna be there**

**Leyla: You bet!**

**Leyla: Wouldn't miss it**

**Leyla: wanna be my d8?**

**Heidi: just for that shorthand no**

**Leyla: so picky**

**Leyla: fine wanna be my DATE**

**Leyla: better?**

**Heidi: yes and yes**

**Leyla: knew you couldn't resist ;)**

**Leyla: meet me in my room**

**Leyla: eight pm**

**Heidi: dude party ain't until eleven**

**Heidi: I know you take forever to get ready**

**Heidi: and we have to travel to the lumbermill**

**Heidi: but…**

**Leyla: Got other things planned too**

**Heidi: oh?**

**Leyla: Guess you'll have to wait and see ;p**

Violet frowned at the phone. "Huh, didn't know these two were so close."

"Didn't know Heidi could be… friendly." All Tabitha had seen of Heidi was the psycho bully/killer side. "I've only seen her in big bad wolf mode before. Guess she does have a human side under all that coarse fur and snapping teeth."

"Hard to imagine, but I guess so. She did get progressively worse as time passed," Violet revealed. "Like, she's always been a bit of an asshat, but not crazy levels like we've seen. So… could be related to more serious AC stuff. Lonnie did say they ease people in gently before making them their bitch."

"Maybe she thought it would be cool at first, then kinda regretted it but she couldn't get out and… they broke her before she could escape," Tabitha hypothesized sadly.

Nodding slowly, Violet sighed. "Never thought I could actually feel sympathy for her, but… you might be right. If you are, gotta feel at least a little sympathy. Anyway, moving on."

She scrolled on a little way, stopping at another conversation that caught her attention.

**Leyla: Heidi!**

**Leyla: wanna go somewhere tomorrow**

**Leyla: gotta splash all this cash**

**Heidi: sure where to?**

**Leyla: somewhere fancy**

**Heidi: good luck finding that around here**

**Heidi: this place has no class**

**Leyla: I wish i could disagree**

**Leyla: you have a car right?**

**Heidi: you know I do**

**Leyla: so…**

**Leyla: let's use it**

**Heidi: I'm in**

**Leyla: yes road trip!**

"Hmm… guess they hit the big time," Violet concluded. "Again, Lonnie said these guys were paying her big bucks for her services."

"I wonder what they had to do for that," Tabitha pondered aloud.

Running her fingers through her hair, Violet began theorizing. "Probably something drug related. Buying, selling, stock taking, ruffing people up for payments… Nothing too serious but enough of a risk to earn cash. Leyla never did save her money well. She always said money was worth nothing until it was spent. Just fancy paper… not untrue."

The more Tabitha heard about Leyla, the more curious she found herself. "What sort of things did she spend her money on?"

"All kinds of things. Concerts, alcohol, clothes, games and music, books, weed…" That last one made Violet frown a little.

"Weed?" the teal-haired girl repeated.

"Yeah, I wasn't into that shit but she didn't seem to care. 'More for me' as she used to say." A bittersweet smile tugged at Violet's lips as she continued. "I didn't judge her for it or anything. I don't think she even liked it that much. Her parents were pretty… strict, and she probably wanted to rebel or something. She was always complaining about them. Explains a lot, actually. Heidi probably wasn't lying when she said that was her reason before. Money was probably a good incentive, too. Enabled her to do things she wanted and all. Doubt she needed much coaxing."

"She probably wasn't the only one to join up for those reasons." Tabitha could see a lot of people, students especially, being drawn in by the promise of money and rebellion.

Violet managed a soft chuckle of agreement. "Oh, for sure. I doubt anyone in the AC is genuinely loyal. Gotta be for money, 'freedom of self-expression' aka piss of the parents through rebellion, or blackmail. Or some other personal reason, like Eric." She went back to scrolling through the messages.

"Ah, wait, stop right there," Tabitha demanded as a set of messages caught her eye.

**Leyla: Hey**

**Leyla: you okay?**

**Leyla: haven't seen you all week**

**Leyla: missing you x**

**Heidi: we need to talk**

**Leyla: sounds serious**

**Heidi: my room**

**Heidi: after class**

This time was a drastic change in tone from the usual texts, making Tabitha frown. "What was all that about?"

Giving the screen a hard, long stare, Violet chewed her lip in thought. "I have no idea. A big shift from the Heidi in the other texts."

"What changed?" Tabitha wondered aloud, coming up with her own theories.

"Maybe… she got more involved in AC activities around this time? May have not been voluntarily, either," Violet suggested as she bit her lip.

"I was gonna suggest aliens but…" Tabitha added to lighten the mood, "it's very possible that's what's going on here."

Running with the joke, Violet shrugged. "Hey, I'm not ruling anything out: aliens and weird sacrificial cults included. Gimme all the conspiracy theories."

Tabitha gave her an award-winning smile, taking the older girl's breath away for just a second. "And this is why you're my best friend. You go along with all my stupid ideas."

"Someone has to carry the burden." Violet smirked, getting a light nudge in return. "Anyway, let's focus. I don't wanna stay here longer than necessary."

"Agreed." Both sets of eyes returned to the phone.

**Leyla: Heidi…**

**Heidi: yeah?**

**Leyla: what are we doing?**

**Leyla: this is crazy**

**Heidi: what else can we do?**

**Leyla: run away together?**

**Heidi: I wish**

**Leyla: I'm serious**

**Heidi: we don't have the cash for a clean break**

**Heidi: only way to get more cash is by diving in deeper**

**Heidi: we're in deep enough already**

**Leyla: it's okay**

**Leyla: so long as we're in deep together**

"I'm guessing they were venturing even deeper into the rabbit hole by this point," Tabitha muttered to herself.

"No more fun and games…" Violet breathed, brow furrowing, "why didn't she tell me?"

The younger girl gave her friend a sympathetic look. "She probably didn't want to get you involved in all this."

"Yeah… still, I just… shit…" She closed her eyes, rubbing at her temples.

"Vi, it's okay," Tabitha reassured, putting a hand on her arm and rubbing soothingly. She hated seeing her like this.

Violet just shook her head, taking hold of her friend's hand for comfort. "I don't think anything about this is okay, Tabs."

"It will be once we've gotten to the bottom of this." For Violet's sake, they had to find out what was going on here. Tabitha was determined.

"We can only hope. I… there are a few things I need to talk with Leyla about if…" Violet's expression turned resolute, " _when_ we find her."

"When," Tabitha repeated as she turned her attention back to the phone.

**Leyla: ready to move out?**

**Heidi: yeah**

The abruptness surprised the younger girl. "Wow, that one was short."

Violet bit her lip, staring at it. "The last one in the chain too, sent a couple of weeks ago… not ever so helpful, but at least it answers a few smaller questions… as well as giving us so many more."

"Let's check the other conversations," Tabitha proposed, her friend nodding.

Most of them were irrelevant or indecipherable, code words. Finally, they came across a suspicious looking set of messages.

**Big Boss: Eric's been asking too many questions**

**Big Boss: Deal with him**

**Heidi: How?**

**Big Boss: I'll leave that up to you**

**Big Boss: So long as he stops asking things he's not supposed to**

**Heidi: I'll handle it**

**Big Boss: I know you will**

"Hmm… that sounded a little… threatening," Violet added, looking concerned.

"Yeah, I get what you mean," Tabitha agreed. "Like 'I have your family hostage until you do as I say' kinda thing."

"Shame Heidi didn't add a proper name we could work from," Violet muttered to herself. "Still, the lumbermill came up again… for a party this time, but maybe like an AC related party?"

Tabitha nodded. "I'd put money on it."

"I don't think we're getting much more out of this," Violet announced, placing the phone back in the exact same place they had found it. "Let's try her laptop."

The pair moved over to Heidi's desk, her laptop sat open. Tabitha wiggled the mouse, seeing several open tabs. The first was for her social media page, already logged in. There had been very few posts recently compared to a few months ago. The private messages reflected those on the phone, mostly with Leyla, a few with Lonnie and some other students involved in the AC – a few threats to Eric as well, who seemed to be predictably asking her questions about Leyla. Nothing new there. The next tab was for music, some heavy metal/rock band. Next one along was for an upcoming concert for the same band. The final tab was the most interesting given its randomness.

It was a news story about an E6 tornado that hit a small, coastal town called Arcadia Bay, Oregon.

"Wait… isn't that the thing you were telling me about before, Vi?" Tabitha asked, certain that was the case.

Frowning, Violet gave her a slow nod. "Yeah… why would Heidi be looking at this? Didn't think she cared about the environment. And this was weeks ago now."

Tabitha couldn't come up with any particular reason, also finding it weird. "Stranger things have happened, I guess. Heidi Knox: school bully, possible drug dealer, attempted murderer and eco-warrior."

Smiling the mental image now in her mind, Violet glanced at her friend. "Could use a little more of the last one and less of the first three…"

"Oh, for sure," Tabitha agreed. "Time to snoop on emails, methinks."

"Good thinking, Watson." Violet grinned, just waiting for the protests. She really didn't have to wait long.

"Hey, why am _I_ the sidekick?" Tabitha asked with a pout.

"Because, rewind powers," the older girl replied, wiggling her hand to demonstrate. "You're the best friend who gives witty one-liners."

Not having a valid argument to that, Tabitha turned back to their task. "Time to snoop through emails."

Watching her get the emails synced and loaded up, Violet shook her head. "I think you're enjoying this just a little _too_ much, Tabs."

"Gotta take my kicks where I can," Tabitha replied with a shrug. An email from a few months back caught her attention.

_**Heidi,** _

_**Make sure you attend this month's soiree. As my daughter, you should demonstrate the etiquette and social prowess befitting such a relation. I shall not tolerate insolence. With the Prescotts indisposed – a fortuitous turn of events – we must act immediately to strengthen and broaden the company's network of connections.** _

_**Your betrothed will also be present. I shall arrange a suitable attire for the occasion and transport.** _

_**Attendance is mandatory.** _

_**A. Knox, CEO of Knox Enterprises** _

There was a very short reply underneath, in no way reflecting the formatting and tone of the first email.

_**Whatever, mom.** _

The two girls stared at the screen, bewildered by their findings. After some time, Violet finally managed to mutter a soft, "Well… damn… was not expecting any of that."

"Guess that might explain why she gets away with so much," Tabitha thought aloud. "You'd have never thought her mother was a big shot the way she acts. Hardly the typical tycoon princess."

"Yeah, and Heidi is _engaged_ ," Violet reminded, blown away. "Or was at the time of this email at least. Didn't see a ring before… guess it would damage her street cred."

This was starting to turn into a complicated relationship drama. "It sounded like she might have been… involved with Leyla at some point, too. My guess from the texts, anyway. I doubt she was the one Heidi was supposed to be getting with."

"No kidding," Violet breathed, still in shock. "If this was a TV show, I'd watch it for all the twists and turns."

There were a few other emails between Heidi and her mother, some pretty explosive in nature with Heidi getting increasingly frustrated with her mother's interference. Other emails contained cryptic messages, possibly map coordinates and code words – most definitely related to the AC.

Searching a little longer, yielding nothing of importance, Violet called it a day on the snooping. They booked it out of there as quickly as possible, letting Eric know they had finished.

"Okay, the lumbermill is our only other solid lead. That'll have to wait until tomorrow after class, though. If we skip, it'll be suspicious."

"True, even if I do want to skip…" Tabitha sighed, looking a little disheartened.

Feeling the same, Violet nodded sympathetically. "You and me both, sister, but we have to keep up appearances."

Glancing over at the Hi-Fi system sat on the chest of drawers, Tabitha's lips curled up into a coaxing smile as she grabbed onto her friend's wrist, gently swaying and pushing the ends of the woven bracelet with her fingers. "Say, wanna jam out to some tunes?"

It didn't take much persuading. "You know, I could do with a dancing session. Let's have a rock out session in Heidi's honor. I'm sure she'd approve. Now… what to choose… how 'bout some Black Pistol Fire?"

Eagerly, Tabitha jumped up and down, all but running over to the speakers. As the energetic rock and roll beats pumped from the speakers, the two girls kicked their shoes off and began waving their arms around, totally letting go of inhibitions. They sang along – mumbling at the lyrics they hadn't learned – giggling as they danced.

After everything they had been, and still would go through, they needed a breather.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... stuff is happening. More music, yay! Black Pistol Fire is an awesome rock 'n roll duo. Give their Audiotree sessions on YouTube a listen if you're so inclined – live is always better.
> 
> So, hopefully it should be a little clearer who the fox and coyote represent spirit animal wise. Just in case you're still confused, Violet is the red fox – red streak in her hair as an extra hint – and Heidi is the coyote, which hopefully her tattoo and necklace helped clarify before.


	6. All Roads Lead to Rome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, welcome back. We're getting to the nitty gritty stuff now. Some reveals are gonna happen here that could change… everything and hopefully give some major hints about where the rest of this story is going.

**Chapter Five: All Roads Lead to Rome**

**Next Day, After Class**

After class had ended for the day, the two girls rushed to the bus stop, almost instantly getting on. To keep themselves calm, they shared Violet's iPod, much like they had on their journey to the forest for Tabitha's birthday. That unexpectedly fateful day… Their playlist of choice this time was much less upbeat than the last, needing something calmer to keep their nerves in check – a mellow indie rock tune.

 **_I've been weeping silent like a wound_ **  
**_Would you stitch me up_ **  
**_Or let the blood suck through?_ **  
**_Watching my world turn from white to maroon_ **

**_Ignore my claws_ **  
**_Look into my eyes_ **  
**_And convince us both_ **  
**_That I'll last through the night_ **

**_I could land on my feet if I tried_ **  
**_I never jumped a chasm so wide_ **  
**_And made it to the opposite side_ **  
**_Even now, as we are, standing here_ **  
**_I can see the doubt in your eyes_ **  
**_I can smell the animal fear_ **  
**_I can smell the animal fear_ **

They were silent for the whole journey, holding hands for support as they prepared themselves for what they might find at the lumbermill. Only god knew what was really there. They took the bus as far as it would reach, walking the rest of the way – only another ten minutes or so. Not a single word was exchanged between them; only the occasional glance or hand squeeze for reassurance. Words were redundant now.

Silence overwhelmed them as they approached the decrepit lumbermill. It was in a clearing, surrounded by gnarled trees and untamed undergrowth. A huge, jagged hole-filled door rocked on rusted hinges in the wind, creaking. Honestly, it looked like it might fall down any second. The rest of the building was just as broken and weathered. Vines and other creeping plants filled the gaps in the structure, nature's plaster. The disused skeleton of a train track remained, snaking its way through the thick line of trees.

Violet frowned, the exterior familiar to her. Checking their surroundings, confirming nobody was around, the two girls entered the building. Inside there were several rusted machines, never to be touched again. Various animals scurried across the floor and in the rafters, hiding. Curled up in the corner was…

"What the…?" Violet breathed, seeing a creature she had seen once before in her dream... the red fox.

One of its brown eyes flickered open to meet hers, body stretching out before it sat upright. That same translucent glow… Speechless, Violet met the animal's gaze. Its eyes conveyed a message: what took you so long?

"Vi… you're seeing this too, right?" Tabitha asked, voice low and movements slow so as not to spook it.

Violet blinked a few times, confirming she was, in fact, seeing this. "I sure am…"

This was totally weird, in keeping with the past few days. The fox's ears twitched as it plodded over to them, coming to a stop about a foot before them. Once it had their attention, it approached a familiar part of the lumbermill… the place where the two figures from Violet's dream thing had uncovered the black book.

Exhaling deeply, the older girl took the lead and rootled around for the book. Of course, it was just sitting there, waiting for her to read it. "Damn…"

"Gonna open it or what?" Tabitha pressed, the suspense killing her.

Nodding, Violet began flipping through the book's pages. "What the…?"

There were a bunch of names, numbers and code words, most indecipherable. The younger girl got a closer look, frowning. "Well, that's not creepy at all… reckon it's like, a recruitment book. Or a hit list?"

"Possible… could be a mixture, among other things." As Violet flipped through the pages, she came across something strange. "Wait… this part is different… loose."

"Hmm…" Tabitha hummed to herself as her friend pulled the loose part out, a color picture of a girl. "Who is she?"

"Wait… I recognize her." Violet pointed to the picture, frowning. "Gimme a minute to think…"

Tabitha got a better look at the photo. The girl depicted was pretty, model level. Long blonde hair and hazel eyes full of mischief. A noticeable feature was the blue feather hanging down from her ear. She had no clue who this girl was, but Violet seemed to.

Thinking hard, Violet muttered to herself. "Think it began with an R or something… Rhianna? No, that wasn't it… Reilly? Hmm… Ah!"

"Brainwave?" the younger girl asked, dying to know the answer.

It hit Violet like a punch to the gut… or Heidi's backhand the other day. "Yeah, Rachel. Pretty sure that was it anyway, like ninety percent sure. I know her because Leyla does. I am totally dense. Shit, we even met once or twice. She was the one who taught me how to make these bracelet things." She held up her wrist to demonstrate, the small metal letters clanking. "Leyla talked about her a lot. I think they mostly kept in touch over the internet, too far away to see each other all the time."

"She's pretty," Tabitha observed.

"Oh, she sure is. I think she wanted to be a model, probably too short for that," Violet added as an afterthought. "We went to a Firewalk concert together once, me, Leyla, Rachel and this other chick. Punk rocker vibe to the max, wicked blue hair and a tat sleeve. What was her name…? It's on the tip of my tongue… Clara or something. Ugh, my memory is literally the worst."

Tabitha watched her friend ponder the potentials. This was beyond freaky now. It had been weird enough with the life-saving rewind powers… now, this? Just what was going on?

Giving up on recalling the name, Violet continued, "I'm pretty sure Leyla hooked up with one of them, even though she evaded the topic. My guess, the blonde. She always did have a thing for wild pretty girls. Haven't seen either of them since…" Something in her expression shifted then – overwhelming realization.

"What?" the teal-haired girl inquired, curious to hear what she was thinking.

Gathering her thoughts, Violet swallowed hard. "Well, if I remember correctly, the pair of them went to, uh, Blackwell Academy… Oregon, in a small coastal town… Arcadia Bay, I think."

It took a few seconds for the younger girl to reach the exact same conclusion. "Wait, you're not saying what I _think_ you're saying, are you?"

"That's where that monster tornado hit," Violet confirmed. "And… I think one of the chicks in my vision had blue hair. Might be a coincidence. Maybe not, though." More confused than ever, the older girl stared at the picture. "Why's her picture even here, though?"

Tabitha turned the picture over to check if anything was written on the back, frowning. "Rachel in the Dark Room… what's that supposed to mean?"

"Maybe like, a photo dark room?" Violet suggested, the artsier of the pair. "Or a literal dark room? Hmm…"

"Whatever it is sounds… ominous," Tabitha added with an involuntary shiver, seeing something else of interest poking out of the book. "There's a note here, too…" Both girls crowded round as she read it out loud.

* * *

_To whom this may concern,_

_I hope this letter finds its way to the right person at the right time, hard when I don't actually know who you are or what the 'right time' even means. I just have to trust in my 'instincts'… yeah, let's call them that. If you_ _**are** _ _the right person and this_ _**is** _ _the right time, you'll understand what I mean._

 _I'm like you. You've probably already figured that out if you've been having similar dreams as me. We're connected, somehow, on a spiritual level, or something. Still haven't figured that one out, honestly. Anyways, not important. What_ _**is** _ _important is that I've seen what you've seen, and I assume that you've seen what I've been through. Rough ride, huh? From the looks of it, you're not having a good time of it either… time being the operative word._

_This… 'thing' that's happening to us, I still don't really understand it. I've only had it a couple of weeks longer than you. I'm fumbling through, making mistakes left, right and center. Sure as hell didn't come with a manual. If only…_

_There's a link between us, a highly unstable one. It was never supposed to be forged. We were never supposed to do what we do. The only reason we have certain new 'abilities' is to fix things. That's what I've come to believe. What things, you ask? Well, that's been a large appendix of my life._

_I can't go into more detail right now, never know who's listening in. If you are the right person, you'll know where to meet me. Where it all started for you. Tomorrow, after class. I hope our tomorrows are the same… only time will tell._

_You still have places to go and people to do… me, too._

_I'll be waiting_

* * *

"What the…?" Tabitha muttered under her breath, reading the letter again in her head.

It seemed like the vision thing had come true… and that the people who hid this here wanted to meet up with Violet. "I guess… I'm supposed to be the recipient of this? I saw… someone leave this stuff here for me to find, I think."

Sighing, Tabitha rubbed her temples. "I have literally no idea what's going on here."

"Join the club," Violet breathed, so confused. There was only one thing they could really do now. "All we can do now is… follow the instructions."

"Where it all started…" Tabitha thought aloud, stroking her chin, "that would be the forest, obviously. Guess we have plans for tomorrow." She glanced over at her friend, worried by how suddenly quiet she was being. "Vi?"

Violet had sat down on the floor, back pressed against one of the old machines, staring at the note. "I just… why me? Why is all this weird shit happening to me? And… and you, of course. I didn't _ask_ for this. So… why?"

Tabitha joined her friend, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Maybe this person we're going to meet can help us find some answers."

Taking a deep breath, the older girl gave her a sad look. "Gotta hope so, at least. I need something stable to latch on to."

One smile tinged with sadness, trying to reassure. "Not to brag, but I'm pretty stable."

"You're about the only thing that actually kinda makes sense in my life right now, Tabs." There were so many things Violet needed to tell her, get out of her system before she exploded. "You've always been a… pillar of stability and strength for me. Even when I was going through a rough time with my mom and… Leyla, you still stood by me. Hell, you didn't even know why I was being so grumpy and yet…"

"Hey, Vi, of course I stuck by you," Tabitha interrupted firmly. "We're best friends; that's what we're supposed to do. The bracelets you made prove that, right?"

Violet looked down at her own bracelet, then at the almost identical one Tabitha was sporting. "Best friends… no, not that. Well, we are, it's just we're…" she paused, biting her lip. "I don't know what we are, Tabs. All I know is that I… shit, this is more complicated explaining than I thought. Sounded better in my head…"

Tabitha took hold of her friend's hand, fingers intertwining. "We're… what?"

That was the million-dollar question… "I dunno… more? Different? I don't know what the right word to use is. I mean, we've… kissed before and… I liked it." Violet admitted cautiously. "With everything going on, I haven't had time to really think it through, all the implications and… I don't think words will ever be able to express what I'm thinking or feeling right now."

She caught her friend's eye, the younger girl staring at her intently. They were so expressive, not hiding a single thing from her. Violet's gaze wandered down to her lips, so tempting to just lean in and connect. If she did that, what they had, what they were… it would all change. The scary part was… they would have no idea how or whether that change was for the better or worse until they took the plunge.

* * *

**Several Years Ago**

_The summer sun beat down, rays of warm light poking through the canopy of trees in the forest. Two girls laid on their back, appreciating the shade and cool dirt ground. One was short, chubby, dark skin and poufy hair, the other was average height, thin with dark hair – almost black. The first girl hummed along to the gentle music coming from her phone, accompanied by the swish and sway of the trees and various animals._

_The taller and younger of the pair turned to her friend as they laid there, hands resting on her stomach. "Vi, you wanna get married and have kids when you're older?"_

_Her friend turned her head, giving it some thought. "I dunno, Tabs, maybe? I haven't really thought about it before."_

_Tabitha's face crumpled in thought. "I have a bit. I think I'd be nice if the right person came along."_

" _Who's the right person?" Violet asked, curious to see how she would reply._

_That made the younger girl shrug. "Don't know yet. Could be anyone, right? Might've already met them."_

" _Maybe…"_

_Silence passed over them, Violet no longer humming. A few moments later, Tabitha turned onto her side to face the other girl. "Think anyone would actually want to marry me?"_

_Noting the doubt in her best friend's voice, Violet too turned onto her side. "They'd be crazy not to."_

" _Would you… hypothetically?" the younger girl asked._

" _That a proposal?" Violet grinned, giving her a gentle nudge._

" _I said 'hypothetically'," she protested._

_Chuckling, she did love to tease her friend, Violet gave it only a second of thought. "Yeah, I would."_

_That made the younger girl grin. "Well, that's settled then. If we still haven't found 'the one' by the time we hit twenty, we'll do it. It'll be like fate or something."_

" _Twenty ain't even that old, Tabs," Violet pointed out, "but okay, sure."_

" _Pinkie promise?" she held out her finger expectantly._

" _Pinkie promise." Once they had sealed the deal, Violet saw something out of the corner of her eyes, pointing it out quietly as she sat up. "Whoa… is that a bear? Over in the distance by the river."_

_Tabitha sat up, following her finger and seeing the cub trot over to the river. "Baby bear, so cute."_

" _Where's mommy bear, though?" Violet muttered worriedly, keeping an eye out for the possible larger bear._

_Rolling her eyes, Tabitha shuffled closer and put an arm around her. "Vi, quit freaking out. Just enjoy nature unfold before your eyes."_

_They watched the small cub splash at the water, growing increasingly frustrated at not being able to snag a fish. After its fifth attempt, it stared at the water, waiting for the right time. The next time it hit success, snatching a fish clean out of the water._

" _Go baby bear, go," Tabitha whispered in celebration as it chowed down._

_Violet glanced over at her friend, smiling. "Maybe it is a little cute…"_

* * *

Violet let the memory wash over her, remembering it like it had been yesterday. Tabitha had always been good at calming her down, showing her the importance of just… slowing down, not getting too ahead of herself. Steering her in the right direction.

"Say, Tab… how long have you…?" Violet asked softly, finding it hard to finish her question.

"Have I… what?" Tabitha replied, suspecting what she might be asking already.

Steadying her nerves, Violet finished, "You know… liked me?"

"As a friend, pretty much ever since we met." The other half of the answer was a little more complicated. "As for… other feelings… a while, I think. I didn't know what I was feeling, hell still don't. Neither of us has really dated anyone before, and whenever it got close to the possibility, we always chickened out. Remember Marcus?"

"I do, yeah," Violet confirmed, feeling just a little angry at the mention of his name.

Tabitha picked up on that, chuckling at the obvious predictable response. "When he asked me out… I just… I knew then, even if I didn't really want to admit it, that I already… there was someone I already wanted to go out with. And when Tiff asked you out before, you declined. Remember what you told me?"

Violet nodded. "That it wasn't because she was a girl."

"That got me… thinking." Tabitha exhaled deeply, gathering her thoughts. "It didn't matter whether they were a dude, chick or somewhere in between… if I liked them, that stuff was irrelevant. It shouldn't and couldn't dictate who I… it just highlighted new options I sorta knew already existed but hadn't really thought about in relation to myself, you know?"

Violet knew exactly what she meant. "I'm… glad we had that conversation, then."

"Yeah, me too. Otherwise, I might've… realized things too late." Tabitha seemed very depressed about that possibility.

Not wanting to see her sad, Violet took her hand, playing with her fingers. "Well, lucky for you I was holding out for a special someone, trying to work up the courage. I just wish… what happened had come at a better time, without all this rewind and near death stuff. It came as a huge shock, you know. If things hadn't been so damn hectic…"

Tabitha gave her old friend a long, hard, searching stare. "So… you're saying that…?"

"I like you too, Tabs, that's what I'm saying. I don't want you to date anyone else, or for me to date other people. I want…" Violet's confession was stopped in its tracks when she heard footsteps outside the lumbermill.

She turned to Tabitha, who had frozen too. Someone was out there. Had they heard them talking? They didn't say another word, ears listening out for more movement, voices… anything that would help identify the potential threat.

"… have you been?" a voice asked accusingly, one they both recognized as Heidi.

"Around." This voice was new, to Tabitha at least. Heidi knew it all too well.

"You've been ignoring me," Heidi barked back, sounding frustrated. "Why?"

"What do you want me to say, Heidi?" the other voice asked tiredly.

"I… I dunno, okay?!" Heidi shot back, even more irritated than before.

"You have absolutely no right to be shouting at me," the other voice mentioned, starting to lose the calmness. "Not after… you dragged me into this, took me along for the ride and then…"

Heidi let out a sharp laugh of disbelief. "I already told you like a million times, I'm _not_ getting engaged to that loser. Even if I have to… run away. So, don't use that as an excuse."

"Oh, so _now_ you want to run away, huh?" the other voice asked, just as incredulous. "Funny that."

"I've been working hard, saving up…" Heidi explained softly, only barely audible.

There was silence for a time. "Getting yourself involved in some deep shit, no doubt."

"Yeah, actually. Fuck, I… I nearly killed Eric the other day," the school bully admitted.

That made the other person falter. "You… what?"

"He was…" Heidi sighed heavily, "asking too many questions about you, so… someone interrupted me."

"Who?" the unknown voice demanded.

"Does it matter?" Clearly, it did to the person she was talking to. "Fine, Violet Buckner and her little friend, Tabitha Soloman. Happy?"

"Lettie…" the other voice muttered, "what did you do to her, Heidi?" There was a strong flicker of accusation in the question.

Heidi didn't answer straight away, considering her wording. "Just… ruffed her up a bit. Nothing serious."

"Heidi… if you've hurt her…" The other voice almost seemed to be threatening her.

"Why do you give a shit, huh?!" Heidi snapped. "You haven't spoken to her in weeks. She probably _hates_ you!"

Again… silence. "You're right, she probably does. I had to do it, though, and you know why. I didn't want her involved in all this."

" _Enough_ about her, I'm sick and tired. What about me, _us_ , Leyla? We had a good thing going, broken as fuck, but good. I… I fucking _loved_ you and then you just…" Heidi's voice broke, tears clearly ready to fall.

"Heidi…"

"No. Stay back, Leyla," Heidi warned. "I'm not fucking around anymore." The sound of a gun cocking rang through the forest. "I'm done with this, done with people thinking they can just walk all over me."

"We gotta do… something, Tabs. If not…" Violet whispered frantically, not sure what to do with herself. Leyla was… right there, and maybe about to get shot. Tabitha nodded, knowing that Violet wanted her to stay put. Without another word, Violet moved out into the open. "Heidi, put it down."

Heidi turned on her heel, sneering. "Oh, great… what the fuck are you doing here?"

Leyla was around 5'7, the same curly brown hair, olive skin and dark eyes as her brother – pretty and slim. When she spotted Violet, she frowned. "Lettie? What are you…?" The frown deepened when she noticed the injuries. "What happened to your face?" She threw Heidi an accusatory glance.

Knowing this wasn't the time to answer questions, Violet shook her head, eyes trained on Heidi – the girl who had shot her best friend twice and was now aiming a gun right at her. "I'll explain later, now's not the best time for heart-warming reunions or touching concern. Heidi, come on now. We don't need more violence."

"Don't tell me what to do. You have _no_ idea…" Heidi's voice shook with rage, her grip on the gun tightening.

Violet held her hands up, showing that she meant no harm. "I know you don't want to be a part of this anymore, that you want to escape. You're not the only one."

Something changed in Heidi's expression, from the anger end of the spectrum to despair. "Well, what I want doesn't matter, 'cuz it ain't gonna happen."

"There's still time," Violet insisted, almost laughing at the irony; she was a time traveler after all.

Seeing a chance to help defuse the situation, Leyla jumped in. "Lettie's right, Di, we can still get outta this. We're not too far gone yet."

Heidi looked between them, her resolve faltering. Suddenly, she collapsed to the floor, tears streaming from her eyes. Leyla was on her in a second, kicking the gun out of the way and wrapping her arms around the lanky girl. She stroked her hair, whispering reassurances as Heidi bawled, gripping on tight.

Violet hung back, watching the once near killer break down in Leyla's arms – the lost and scared girl once hidden deep inside unleashed. The young time traveler didn't even flinch when she felt a hand wrapped around hers, already knowing who it belonged to; Tabitha had come out of hiding to investigate the strange sounds.

Just when they thought things couldn't get any crazier…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the song this time comes from the amazing Marika Hackman, Animal Fear. She is my favourite artist at the minute – and has been ever since I found her stuff – so I had to sneak one song in :p
> 
> Got more spirit animal info! The bear is related to strength and courage in the face of adversity. It's heavily connected to healing, both self and others. Also, it highlights the importance of solitude and rest. I'm gonna chalk it down as Tabitha's spirit animal.
> 
> Tune in next time where we'll get a little more on Leyla and also… the meeting with Violet's not-so-mystery pen pal :p


	7. What Goes Around...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, welcome back. So, there will be some Spanish words thrown in this chapter here and there (which shall all be explained in the author's notes at the bottom) This chapter will be shorter than the others for certain reasons.

**Chapter Six: What Goes Around…**

After some time, Heidi's crying lessened although she still shook a little. Leyla kept a firm grip on her, soothing her in every way she could think of. Where had it all gone wrong? At the beginning, it had been… amazing. The best thing to ever happen to her, period. They had fun, laughed. It had almost been like a fairy tale, with more booze and weed. Then, things changed…

* * *

**One Month Ago**

_Heidi had been acting so strange recently, more withdrawn. It was freaking Leyla out. She had to get to the bottom of this, and Heidi had asked to meet her. Preparing herself, Leyla knocked on the door, receiving a muffled invitation inside._

_The room was dark and depressing, curtains drawn. All kinds of things littered the floor: empty bottles and pill packets, screwed up pieces of paper, used baggies… in the middle of the chaos on the bed sat Heidi, hair covering her face. She was hugging herself, gently rocking back and forth. If Leyla didn't know better, she might think the other girl was a ghost._

" _Heidi?" Leyla inquired softly, placing a soothing hand on her shoulder._

_The other girl's head snapped up, eyes wide with fear as she grabbed onto her. "Fuck, Leyla, those people are… psychopaths."_

_Confused, Leyla calmly loosened her grip and sat down on the bed beside her. "What do you mean?"_

_Taking a deep shaky breath, Heidi retold her recent experience. "They… they took me on a shakedown. Said I looked scary as hell and would be a good intimidation symbol. I thought… shit, they beat a dude within an inch of his life, just…" her eyes closed, reliving each blow as tears began to roll down her cheeks, "left him there on the floor, curled up and crying. I'm never gonna forget that. Ever."_

" _Hostia puta, Heidi…" Leyla muttered under her breath, totally bewildered. It was never supposed to go down like this._

" _What else could I do, huh?" Heidi snapped back, frustrated and scared. "These guys are dangerous and merciless. I don't wanna be next, or for you to be."_

" _Okay, okay… just gimme a sec to wrap my head around this. This is some heavy shit." Leyla exhaled deeply, putting an arm around her freaked out friend… or whatever they were now. Their relationship was a little complicated._

_Being held seemed to calm her down considerably, as did the kisses Leyla peppered on her face and lips. The kisses helped Heidi forget, just for a moment, how fucked everything had gotten. Hands drawing her closer, running along her skin, gave her something else to focus on. Something other than the pained screams and begging._

* * *

Helping Heidi to her feet, the taller girl still holding on tight, Leyla faced her ex-friend. She wasn't sure what to say after all this time and… everything. "Hey, Lettie."

"Leyla," Violet replied, at an equal loss for words.

"So, I…" she began, getting cut off by the shorter girl.

"You don't… have to say anything, okay," Violet interrupted. This was already awkward enough for the both of them, might as well make it a little easier by avoiding unnecessary explanations. "I've been snooping around and… I get it. I just wish you'd told me what you were going through."

"So do I," Leyla admitted sadly. "Would've saved a lot of heartache, huh?"

"Yeah, just a little," Violet muttered in agreement. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"Well," she glanced at Heidi, who had stopped crying now but was still clinging on tight, "I have a few messes to clear up, bridges to mend. Then… wherever the wind takes me, I guess. Don't think I want to stick around and wait for these pendejos to take me out. Neither will Eric." There was a steely resolve in her tone and expression. She had _no_ intention of going down without a fight. "If things get too bad, we have family elsewhere. Always said we should visit them. Just need to lay low for a while, get my act together."

"Would be a wise move, yeah," Violet agreed, glancing over at Tabitha. The younger girl had remained completely silent throughout, her hand still clutching on tight.

"Listen, Lettie, I'm so sorry about all this," Leyla apologized, trying to think of the right words to say. It would never be enough but this was as good as they would get for now. "I didn't mean for it to get this bad, never. And I really didn't mean to hurt you like I did."

"It's…" Violet stopped herself from saying 'It's fine'. It wasn't 'fine'. It would _never be_ 'fine'. "I'm still a little mad at you – can't lie there, wouldn't be fair on either of us – but I understand why you did what you did now. I'm grateful you thought about me, even if the outcome wasn't great."

"And I'm grateful you stuck with me for so long," Leyla replied with a sad smile. "You had your own shit to deal with, you know with your mom, yet you still tried to help. I was being a stubborn perra, I'll admit it, but I had good reasons and you know that now." Eager to change the subject, Leyla's eyes focused on Tabitha. "So, who's your friend?"

"This is Tabitha," Violet introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Tabitha. Wish it were under different circumstances." Leyla extended her hand.

Tabitha accepted the handshake. "Likewise."

Leyla gave her a long, hard searching stare, then looked at Violet and back to Tabitha, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Hey, wait a sec… oh, you sly dog, Lettie. I know that look."

"What look?" Violet replied innocently.

"The love-struck look," Leyla stated matter-of-factly, crossing her arms. "So, care to tell me what's going on with that?"

Smirking, the shorter girl shrugged. "I'm pleading the fifth."

"Yeah, incriminate yourself further…" Leyla gave Tabitha a once-over, nodding approvingly. "Hmm… I'm impressed. Didn't think you had it in you to bag such a hot babe."

"Leyla…" Violet sighed, facepalming.

Tabitha grinned. "Hey, I don't mind. Shower me with compliments, please."

"Don't worry, Lettie, I ain't gonna steal your girl… even if I could easily." Leyla winked at them both, causing Violet to roll her eyes and Tabitha to chuckle. "I've got enough going on in my love life without that added complication. Maybe another time."

Violet held up her hands in a playful fighting stance. "You'll have to get through me first, dude. And you know I have mad ninja skills."

"I can confirm," Heidi muttered, finally joining in the conversation.

Leyla turned to her, smiling softly. "Ah, someone's finally back from Lalaland. How you feeling, babe?"

"Like shit…" the taller girl mumbled, "still better than before, though."

"Progress is progress." Leyla gently pushed her fringe out of her eyes, giving her a kiss on the cheek and muttered something, making Heidi actually break out into a slight smile.

After, Heidi turned to Violet and Tabitha, looking remorseful. "I'm sorry about… well, everything."

"Heidi, it's cool," Violet replied, Tabitha nodding. "No hard feelings."

"So… I, uh, think we should probably get moving. I need to find Eric and… yeah…" Leyla's sentence hung in the air unfinished.

"We have some business to attend to as well…" Violet replied, not going into detail.

That made the other girl chuckle. "I'll bet. Guess we were interrupting your 'quality time'. Abandoned lumbermill's an interesting choice."

"Oh god, you did _not_ just say that," Violet groaned.

"I sure did…" Leyla smirked suggestively. Her expression shifted to something much sadder then as she caught her ex-friend's eye. "Hasta siempre, Lettie **.** A lo hecho, pecho."

"I have no idea what that means, amigo," Violet admitted, "but I'll assume it's relevant."

Leyla nodded firmly. "Very. Go google it later."

That got the other girl shaking her head. "You never did make it easy for me, did you? I will… if I remember it."

"Then let me repeat it. A lo hecho, pecho," she repeated slowly and deliberately. "See, even rhymes."

"A lo hecho, pecho," Violet said aloud, doing her best to say it with the same intonation as Leyla had.

"Hmm…" Leyla gave a sound of mild approval, "not bad. Give it a little work and you'll be saying it like a pro in no time."

There was nothing left to say. They exchanged a hug, like it was the last time they would ever see each other. Honestly, it very well could be. None of them could see the future.

* * *

**Next Day, Morning**

Today was the big day. Violet and Tabitha would finally be meeting with this other time traveler who had been inextricably linked to Violet through dream and letter. Yesterday's excitement, and from the past the days from that matter, had made them so tired but also wired at the same time. Like a caffeine boost tricking their minds and bodies.

They had no idea when they should go, presumably around the same time as before when all this started. Once again, they caught the bus to the forest, calming their nerves with music - a gentle indie/neo-folk tune.

**_Shadows settle on the place, that you left_ **   
**_Our minds are troubled by the emptiness_ **   
**_Destroy the middle, it's a waste of time_ **   
**_From the perfect start to the finish line_ **

**_And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones_ **   
**_'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs_ **   
**_Setting fire to our insides for fun_ **   
**_Collecting names of the lovers that went wrong_ **   
**_The lovers that went wrong_ **

**_We are the reckless_ **   
**_We are the wild youth_ **   
**_Chasing visions of our futures_ **   
**_One day we'll reveal the truth_ **

Tabitha rested her head on Violet's shoulder, hands intertwined. At least one good thing had come from this, even if it had taken a lot of shit to instigate. Whatever happened next, they would be facing it together.

Soon enough, they reached the right stop. Both girls got off and started the slow journey to that fateful spot. So many mixed emotions and memories, all blending into one. Simultaneously the happiest times in their lives and the worst. Such a paradoxical place. Birds chirped happily as they strolled through the forest, smaller animals rustling around in the undergrowth. Gnarled tree trunks twisted, ancient watchers, a gentle breeze rustling their leaves. The sun poked through the natural canopy, leaving streaks on the ground.

Just out of sight, in amongst the trees, a fox sat watching them go. It was not alone, a small bear cub sat as close as it could get to the dark red furred animal. An odd pairing to say the least. The creatures were intrigued by the humans now roaming their home, hand in hand. The bear playfully batted the fox, who returned the tap and began running circles around the considerably larger animal. Anybody walking in on the unlikely scene would get a shock, for sure.

"Nervous?" the teal-haired girl suddenly asked her older friend, arm gently swaying.

"A little, if I'm honest," Violet admitted. No point in pretending otherwise. "I mean, I'm going to be meeting someone like me, someone with powers. And something big is gonna go down, that much I can tell. It kinda feels… I dunno how to describe it… like I'm being guided by some invisible force."

Tabitha inhaled deeply before replying to that. "My grandma was big on fate and destiny. She had a saying she would nearly always quote whenever she could. It roughly translates as: 'Even the stone you trip on is part of your destiny'. It just popped into my mind right now."

"Do you believe in destiny, Tabs?" the older girl asked, curious to hear how she would answer.

"I'm on the fence," Tabitha finally responded. "I think we have many paths to take, many destinies. Dependant on the choices we make, whether we take the left or right path, we can experience one of them. Who knows, maybe somewhere out there is another Tabitha and Violet living the other choices. A Tabs and Vi who never met, a Tabs and Vi who are enemies, a Tabs and Vi who… who never gave their feelings a chance." She seemed sad about that possibility. "So, I'm glad we can experience this outcome, with all its twists and turns."

Violet smiled, squeezing her hand. "I'd have to agree there."

"Well, duh, I'm always right," Tabitha stated with a smug grin.

After some time, they reached the right spot. An involuntary shudder passed over them, remembering what had happened her mere days ago.

"I knew it would be weird being back, but…" Violet exhaled deeply, pushing the horrible images to the back of her mind.

"Where it all started…" Tabitha muttered softly, "and where it will all end… hopefully."

They waited around, taking a seat on the ground with their backs pressed against a nearby tree. It felt like they waited forever, even if only a few moments had passed. Just when they were starting to lose hope, they heard rustling. On guard, they stood and went to investigate. It could be anybody – feral hungry animal included – not like this place was a private setting.

A second later, someone stepped out into the clearing, two people in fact. One was tall, blue-haired, tats and tude; the poster child for punk rocker chick. A tri-bullet necklace glinted in the sunlight. The other was shorter, brunette with pale freckled skin. She wore a worn gray hoodie and a black top with the words 'I shoot people' in white stencil print, an image of a camera underneath. Just visible on the inside of her left wrist was a tattoo; a simple black spiral.

They were definitely the same people for Violet's dreams, no question. The brunette's blue eyes passed over them, locking with Violet's brown ones – eyes that seemed to stare into her very soul, making her shiver involuntarily.

All of them could feel it, the raw energy in the air, the way time almost seemed to stand still. Four girls, two who had experienced multiple near deaths and the other two with an impossible god-like power.

This meeting would change… everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, disclaimer: I don't speak Spanish (did it for like a year at school a looooong time ago) but I wanted to include some. Internet, offer me your wisdom! (and apologies to any Spanish speaking peeps if I get this wrong… I tried…)
> 
> As I understand the words: hostia puta = holy shit/fuck, perra = bitch (not in a sexual way), pendejos = assholes (several other meanings, though). Hasta siempre = farewell (the 'we'll probably never see each other again' kind). A lo hecho, pecho = what's done is done, and you're going to face the consequences… whether you want to or not (very LIS, amirite?).
> 
> Also… Max and Chloe making a comeback! I like to think that the upcoming LIS Season 2 will at least have some references/easter eggs for the first game buried in there for major LIS geeks to find and fangirl over. Music this time was: Daughter - 'Youth'. If you like the LIS soundtrack and haven't given this indie band a listen... GO DO IT NOW! You won't regret it.
> 
> See you next time for what I suspect will be the penultimate chapter.


	8. ...Comes Back Around

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry this one took so long. Motivation has been in short supply recently. So many fics to get finished… So, time for a little bit of backtracking to see how things have been going from Max and Chloe's end. Song used: Gregory and the Hawk – Doubtful.

**Chapter Seven: …Comes Back Around**

When the storm hit Arcadia Bay, it left so many injured in its wake… or worse. Once the tornado had cleared up, Max and Chloe started the morbid search for Joyce and David, other people too. They found the rest of the Price family alive, both helping out in the makeshift relief areas while everyone waited for professional rescue teams to arrive. For such a small town, there were so many casualties.

Without a word, Chloe had rushed towards them both, hugging them tightly. There had been many tears and apologies. The brunette hung back, letting them have this moment. She felt heavily responsible for this brutal mess. As guilty as she felt, she would always choose the bluenette. No question. If Joyce and David knew what had been at risk – Chloe's life – they would definitely have chosen the same option. Whatever the outcome.

David had his arm in a makeshift splint and sling, injured from saving a young boy who had been separated from his family when the full panic kicked in. He'd hidden in a nearby building, ankle sprained from tripping over, almost crushed by a falling support beam. No hesitation, David heard his cries and carried him out of there. The metal beam caught the ex-soldier's arm on the way out, fracturing his left wrist.

Joyce had a few cuts, scrapes and bruises, nothing too major. She had been helping another survivor, a student fresh out of medical school named Elora. Despite being so young – not that much older than Max or Chloe really – she had kept a level head and done her best to provide support. A few others had offered their help where they could, all those able. When the emergency teams arrived, they coordinated with Elora to get as many as possible stable enough for transport.

So many people had been injured, a small fraction of those already dead and more in critical condition. Nobody Max really knew, as far as she could tell. It was small consolation but better than the alternative. She felt guilty enough as it was. The second she had signal, the brunette called her parents, who were understandably shaken by the news. Tears had been exchanged along with a few love-filled words and a promise to come home as soon as possible with everyone.

After everything had been taken care of, Max, Chloe, David, and Joyce made the trek to Seattle to the Caulfield family home to get away from it all. With the Two Whales Diner and Blackwell out of commission for repairs, none of them had any reason to stay in Arcadia for at least a week, probably longer. It was the very first time the bluenette had ever stepped inside the place, Max's home for the past five years.

Of course, there were more tears, plenty of hugs and hot coffee. They all sat down around the kitchen table, just like the old days except no William and David as a new addition. While all clubbing in to make a meal, the four storm survivors explained what had happened to Max's parents. How the tornado had almost seemed to come out of nowhere, whipping across the water. Of course, the girls left out the whole time travel element. That was their secret.

In the time that followed, the pair had tried to forget about the Arcadia incident, making the most of the second chance they had been given. They didn't waste a second, exploring Seattle, watching films, Max getting a spiral wrist tattoo – which had surprised them all – reminiscing about their childhoods… In all honesty, they had been avoiding certain conversations, not ready to deal with the emotional shit show – mostly to do with Max's powers, the storm and… their gradually changing relationship.

For Chloe, her love life was all over the place, in the past couple of weeks especially. With Rachel gone forever, and the knowledge that she had been less than faithful, it was hardly the best time to be thinking about starting something new. And yet, she couldn't deny her all be it complicated feelings for Max. They had always been there, buried deep underneath the bitter resentment after the Seattle move. Given the chance, she may have let herself realize it all sooner. Instead, she had preferred to get angry.

Where Max was concerned, she wasn't all that experienced with relationships – read as no experience. Shit, she hadn't even kissed somebody… before Chloe, anyway. There had nearly always been something there between her and Chloe – a spark – even if she didn't really understand it at the time. In fact, that might account in part for her lack of interest in dating until her return to Arcadia. Reuniting with the bluenette had been scary, fun and confusing all at the same time. And she wouldn't trade it for the world.

The Wednesday morning of that week – from the early hours at the pool to their time at Chloe's house – had kicked everything off, although there had been a few minor hints before then. Things had happened so fast; their reunion littered with pain, heartbreak, and death; but they wouldn't take that time back. Not for anything.

It had been just over two weeks now since the storm first hit, like a distant memory of a bad dream… except not a dream.

Joyce and David had returned to Arcadia yesterday, although the Two Whales and Blackwell were still closed. Max's parents had decided to drive them back, spend some time in Arcadia. The real reason, they wanted to give the girls some space. It was clear they needed time alone, even without either of them explicitly stating it.

Currently, they were lying on the bed, music playing faintly in the background.

_**It's a step/It's a step in the right direction/It's a tough and final decision/'Cause where will I go when I'm feeling blue?** _

_**Spinning my wheels/Wasting my time/Making you feel you've nothing to hide** _

_**So save me and tell me how/it all got so doubtful/Leave me nothing now/Back on the old road/You're wishing you'll wind me down/Give me a mouthful/And leave me nothing now.** _

Chloe had been uncharacteristically quiet this whole time, not even so much as a single teasing comment in the hour or so they'd been lying there for. It was the same earlier, when they had gone out to the nearby skate park for Chloe to destroy some rails… with limited success since she was just a little rusty. Very deep in thought, something was obviously bothering her.

They had made a silent pact ever since the storm passed. Neither of them would push. If they wanted to talk, they could whenever they were ready. Until then, it was all background noise. Still, it was difficult for Max knowing that the bluenette was struggling on her own and vice versa.

After some time, she finally spoke for what was pretty much the first time that day aside from 'morning' and other one or two word responses. "Listen, Max, I've been thinking…"

"Steady on," the brunette teased playfully, trying to lighten the suddenly somber mood.

"Fuck off, Caulfield." Chloe let out a genuinely carefree chuckle for the first time in one, maybe two weeks. "Real talk, though… I've been thinking a lot about… well, you mostly. And…" She faltered, trying to find the right words. "I dunno, I guess I don't want to waste any more time, you know? It might be too soon, or not the right time, but… is there really a right time?"

Unable to pick out the main point, Max tried to calm her down. "Chloe, slow down. Chill out and tell me, okay."

"I think we both know there's… something there. Between us. Past all the bullshit," the bluenette continued hesitantly. "I just… I don't want to lose you again, Max. And I want you to know just how much it means to be with you again and…" A deep sigh left her lips. "I'm not good with this mushy shit. There's still a lot of things I'm confused about, a lot of… shit I have to work through, but… sometimes, you can't hold yourself back from something you really want.  _Someone_."

Max's heart pounded as she listened, pretty sure she understood what Chloe was trying to say. If she had heard right, they wanted the same thing. Hesitantly, she reached out and put her hand on the older girl's cheek, lightly running her thumb over her cheek as blue eyes met. They had sacrificed so much to get to this point, suffered a thousand times over. It was hardly the fairy tale ending they wanted… but life rarely let that happen.

Swallowing hard, Chloe hesitantly shuffled closer, faces so close now they could feel each other's breath on their skin. "I like you, Max. And – after I've worked out a few things in my head – I wanna… make a go of this, if you do…"

Before she could continue the rambling, the brunette instinctively leaned in for a brief kiss. It was shaky, uncertain, yet happening. "I think I'd… like that very mu-" Her whispered words were cut off as Chloe's lips searched for hers again.

They kissed a few times, each tender and serving as proof of their old as time, newly resurfaced feelings. Neither of them pushed it any further for the moment, not ready to take that next step just yet. Ironic as it might sound, that would take time. At least they were both around and able to spare that time.

Snuggled up, the pair fell asleep in each other's arms, as content as they could be right now.

* * *

_Two girls in a forest. One dark skinned and short, an explosion of brown hair with a red streak in the front. The other was paler and tall, black hair fading to teal braided into a side plait. Echoed voices, movement and a loud gunshot, world stained red around the edges. Then… everything reversed, played out differently._

_The next part was a blur of still images. One missing and one violent girl, interlinked. Another near death and a beating. Some kind of building, the name 'Rosewood Academy' conveyed through echoed whispers. A string of ominous texts, an investigation. Finally, a lumber mill filled with secrets – as well as a photo of a familiar blonde and letter in Max's own hand – guarded by a luminescent fox. An overwhelming need to connect, to find answers, and a date: 31_ _st_ _October._

_Then, an unfamiliar voice calling out her name, almost challenging. "Max… you found me once… Now, the game of hide and seek continues…"_

* * *

Waking with a start, Max's eyes shot open. The words resounded in her mind, a command. Her body shook, brow sweaty and heart pounding. Goosebumps covered her skin, hair standing on end. After some time, she managed to get her breathing under control. What the fuck was all  _that_ supposed to be?

The sudden jolting made Chloe stir, bleary blue eyes opening. "Max? You okay?"

"I… I had a weird… dream…" Max recalled, frowning at the jarring images burned into her brain. "I saw… two girls. One of them was… shot and then the whole thing… rewound?"

"Sounds familiar," the blue-haired punk muttered.

"Yeah, and then I saw a bunch of other flashing things," Max continued slowly. "Other people, a school maybe and a lumber mill. As well as… a fox that kinda looked like the weird doe thing I saw before… at the junkyard." She didn't need to say any more about that. "I'm guessing its related to the people I saw. That wasn't all. Someone… spoke to me."

Suddenly awake, Chloe's expression turned serious. "Who? What did they say?"

"I didn't recognize the voice, but they said 'Max… you found me once… Now, the game of hide and seek continues…' That was it," the young time traveler recalled.

"You don't think…" the bluenette faltered, almost afraid to voice her opinion, "…it could have been Rachel, do you?"

"Maybe, but how? I mean, she's the only person I can think of who would fit the sentence, but…" Max didn't need or  _want_ to continue that thought. They both knew of Rachel's dismal fate. "Could just be guilt manifesting… but with the rest of the stuff I saw, I dunno…"

"So, what are we gonna do now?" the bluenette asked hesitantly.

"I guess find them, the people I saw in my dream, and… maybe fix all of this. Why else would I be seeing this?" Something deep down told her that was the right thing to do.

Unlike their first investigation, Chloe seemed reluctant to undergo this wild goose chase. "Max, listen, we don't even know where or who these people are. We can't just wander around forever. I'm… tired, want to move on with my life, not back. And for all we know, this was just a daydream."

"The vision I had of the storm wasn't a daydream," Max pointed out, trying not to sound too frustrated. She could understand wanting to forget but she  _had_ to see this through. "Chloe, this could change  _everything_. We have to try. We can't give up."

"Yeah, you're right," the blue-haired punk reluctantly conceded.

"I don't know if this will work. I'm just working on a gut feeling," Max admitted. "But I just… I can't leave it like this."

Chloe nodded, understanding the need for closure. "We've worked on less before. So long as we're together, nothing else matters."

"Together," Max confirmed, giving her another quick kiss before shuffling out of the bed to her desk. "There was a name, 'Rosewood Academy'. Seems like a decent place to start."

They spent the next hour or so researching, connecting the dots. Eventually, they pinned down a location. Chloe ran her fingers through blue locks, shaking her head. "Shit, Max, that's not all that far away from where we are. Far enough, but we could drive there within several hours. Seems like there's a forest nearby, too. Guessing that's the one you saw in your… dream/vision thing."

With no time to lose, they got packed up and sent a text to Max's parents just in case they came back beforehand. Several hours later, they made it to the building the brunette had seen in her dream.

"There, that's it…" Max confirmed, recognizing the building.

Nodding, Chloe glanced over at her friend. "So what we just… head on inside and find them?"

That suggestion sent off loud warning bells in Max's head. "No, I don't think we can do that. We need to make sure the events I saw happen and that… we eventually all meet up, I think. There was a date, the 31st October."

Making a quick mental calculation, Chloe interjected. "That's like, five days away."

"Yeah, and we have things to prepare for then. We need to find that lumber mill, maybe leave a letter or something so our paths cross at the right time and place." It was really strange. She didn't know exactly what she needed to do yet but had a feeling she'd find out as and when.

Too tired today, the girls found a nearby B'n'B and got a room for the next few days. Max had a decent amount money in her account, some of which she had taken out before their journey. The place was pretty run down but at least it was cheap. Since they had little luggage, it only took them one trip to get to the room.

"So, how are we gonna meet up with them?" Chloe asked as she flopped down onto the bed.

"I saw them go to that lumber mill and find… something. A letter from me and a photo of… Rachel. The one I've seen in your wallet," Max mentioned softly, not wanting to think about the blonde's undeserved fate. "I guess I tell them where to meet us."

The bluenette frowned, pulling out the photo still stashed in her wallet. "Why the photo, though?"

"Maybe they know Rachel?" her friend suggested. "Could be enough to get them curious. I don't know. Anyway, I don't think we plant it yet. Maybe in a couple days. Something tells me they won't go to the mill until the day before we're supposed to meet up. We don't want someone else stumbling on it."

Sitting down on the bed, Max found a crumpled piece of paper and a rapidly dying pen. She had nothing to rely on but her gut instincts and they were pretty strong right now. Part of her had to wonder if Rachel was still guiding them, well beyond the grave. As she scribbled away, the words seemed to come so naturally, like she already knew what she wanted to say even though she didn't.

* * *

_To whom this may concern,_

_I hope this letter finds its way to the right person at the right time, hard when I don't actually know who you are or what the 'right time' even means. I just have to trust in my 'instincts'… yeah, let's call them that. If you_ _**are** _ _the right person and this_ _**is** _ _the right time, you'll understand what I mean._

 _I'm like you. You've probably already figured that out if you've been having similar dreams as me. We're connected, somehow, on a spiritual level, or something. Still haven't figured that one out, honestly. Anyways, not important. What_ _**is** _ _important is that I've seen what you've seen, and I assume that you've seen what I've been through. Rough ride, huh? From the looks of it, you're not having a good time of it either… time being the operative word._

_This… 'thing' that's happening to us, I still don't really understand it. I've only had it a couple of weeks longer than you. I'm fumbling through, making mistakes left, right and center. Sure as hell didn't come with a manual. If only…_

_There's a link between us, a highly unstable one. It was never supposed to be forged. We were never supposed to do what we do. The only reason we have certain new 'abilities' is to fix things. That's what I've come to believe. What things, you ask? Well, that's been a large appendix of my life._

_I can't go into more detail right now, never know who's listening in. If you are the right person, you'll know where to meet me. Where it all started for you. Tomorrow, after class. I hope our tomorrows are the same… only time will tell._

_You still have places to go and people to do… me, too._

_I'll be waiting_

* * *

Satisfied, she folded and pocketed the letter for safe keeping. "There. That should be vague enough to keep the wrong people away but specific enough for the right person."

"I… guess you'll be wanting this now," Chloe mumbled, motioning to the photo of Rachel currently on the bed.

Noticing the reluctance, Max bit her lip. "Only if you're okay with it. We'll get it back, Chloe. Either, they'll keep it with them or leave it at the mill."

It was understandable that Chloe didn't want to give this picture up. Whatever happened with Rachel recently, the bluenette obviously still had feelings for her… and she hadn't had nearly enough time to grieve or figure things out.

"If… we need it, yeah," she agreed, passing the photo Max's way. As she did, the picture turned over slightly, revealing something written on the back. Midway, she froze and turned the picture all the way over, met with the painfully familiar words  _ **'Rachel in the Dark Room'**_. "That… wasn't always there, right? And that's… Rachel's handwriting. I'm sure of it, Max."

"And just when we thought things couldn't  _get_ any stranger…" Max muttered, a few theories falling into place as she stashed the photo and letter in the small bedside chest of drawers.

After ordering pizza and getting a quick shower, the two girls settled down to sleep, snuggled up close. All they had to do now was wait…

The next couple of days they spent scouting out the area and trying to locate the lumber mill, which they did. It was pretty deep in the trees, next to an abandoned railway. After their previous experience with trains, both girls – Chloe in particular – gave the tracks a wide berth. Three days after arriving, they headed in the dead of night to the mill, hoping they wouldn't bump into any… unsavory characters. In their time together, they had been exposed to  _way_ too many already.

When they got to the mill, it was night time. The place was a dump, holes and rusted hinges. Both girls approached the building, huddled up in their jackets to protect themselves from the wind and rain. Max switched her phone flashlight on, lighting up the battered interior. Everything was either rotten or broken, rusty machinery visible.

Sat in the corner was a small transparent fox, staring at them as they entered. Just like Max's spirit doe, only glowing red. "This must be the right place."

"Kinda… creepy in here, dontcha think?" Chloe asked, shivering both from the cold and eerie vibes.

"Not as bad as the Dark Room…" Max muttered, pushing those harrowing thoughts to the back of her mind.

"Oh, nowhere near," the bluenette agreed sadly. "Still shady as hell, though. It's like that part in horror films where teens make out in an abandoned building and the killer finds them then… SLASH!" she exclaimed, voice echoing around the mill.

"Because that makes it  _so_ much better," Max replied sarcastically.

"Sorry, I'm just nervous. Seems like talking helps," Chloe apologized, shuffling her feet.

"Please include more of the make out and less of the serial killer in our story, please," the young time traveler begged, taking a hesitant step towards the unperturbed fox.

In one swift motion, Chloe took her hood down and shook her damp hair, smirking. "Well, that could be arranged."

"Really? Now?" Max asked, narrowly avoiding the spray.

Chloe shrugged, looking a little disappointed. "It was just a suggestion."

"We have other things to do now. Maybe later," her shorter friend half-promised, trying to fluff up her own sopping wet brown hair.

"Pinkie swear?" the blue-haired punk insisted, holding out her finger.

Sighing, Max wrapped her finger around Chloe's with a slight smile. "Pinkie swear. Now, where would be a good hiding spot?"

With the promise made, they began searching the old mill with the fox watching intently. Eventually, Chloe thrust a black notebook into the air with a triumphant shout. "Ah-ha! Jackpot! A little black book filled with secrets, I hope."

As she began thumbing through it, Max shook her head. "C'mon, Chloe, stay on target. This is serious."

"I dunno, it might be the perfect spot. You got any better ideas?" she asked accusingly, surprised when the fox plonked itself down at her feet, staring and whining.

"Guess we should take that as a sign. Let's just hope the right person finds it…" Max announced, tucking the letter and photo in between the pages, to which the fox yipped approvingly. "This one's surprisingly instructive. Makes a nice change."

"It sure puts your Bambi to shame, doesn't it?" Chloe shot a playful smirk, watching the ghostly creature circle them.

"Let's just get out of here," Max suggested, motioning towards the door. " _Before_ we come face to face with more trouble."

She grabbed onto Chloe's hand, who allowed herself to be pulled along while eyeing up the fox. "Can we keep it?"

"Chloe, for starters its not ours. Secondly, I'm not sure we could anyway," the brunette theorized, reaching down to stroke the fox only for her hand to faze through it, shuddering. "Uh, cold shiver. Note to self: don't do  _that_  again."

With their task complete, they left the mill and the fox behind, returning to their room to wait out the rest of their time before meeting up with Max's fellow time traveler.

* * *

**Forest – Present**

"It's you. The people from my… dreams," Violet concluded, eyes widening at the almost impossible sight.

"I know we look too good to be true, babe, but…" Chloe began with a teasingly suggestive grin, getting an elbow in the ribs for her mockery. "Ouch… jealous, much?"

A stern glance from Max made the bluenette grumble under her breath. "I could say the same. My name's Max, this is Chloe."

"I'm Violet, and she's Tabitha," Violet introduced, still dazed. It seemed like they were going to get some answers… hopefully. Or maybe just  _more_ questions. That was more likely, in all honesty.

"Hey," Tabitha greeted, giving the two girls in front of her a friendly grin.

The brunette, Max, smiled. "Nice to finally meet you in person. Never thought I'd meet someone who had the same power as me."

"Make that two of us," Violet breathed, wondering what would happen to them all next. She was already in this deep on the crazy train. "I'm still stuck on having this myself."

Max's expression suddenly turned serious. "Well, there may be at least one other person we can add to the exclusive time traveler gang. One person I believe who ties us all together, however peripherally."

"Who is it?" Tabitha asked, curious.

Taking a deep breath and giving Chloe a quick glance – who suddenly found her feet very interesting – Max replied. "I believe you have her photo still, right?"

"Uh, this one?" Violet dug around inside her bag to pull out the slightly crumpled photo of the modelesque blonde.

Chloe visibly relaxed seeing the picture still intact. Sensing her overwhelming desire to have it back, Violet walked forward to meet the blue-haired girl, handing it over. All she could do was nod in appreciation, tucking the picture back in her wallet.

"Rachel Amber, Chloe's… friend," Max hesitantly answered, taking hold of the bluenette's hand for comfort.

"Guess we're not so dissimilar," Violet muttered, going on to explain how she knew Rachel. "She was friends with one of my ex-friends. Complicated, I know."

"Wait… you guys were at that Firewalk concert, right? You and another chick. Little taller than average, curly brown hair and dark eyes? Uh, Leyla or somthin'," Chloe recalled, searching the deep dark depths of her memory banks.

Violet nodded, a little bummed out that she was so bad at remembering people's names. "Yep, that's the one. Small world, huh?"

"Yeah, no shit," the bluenette sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

"Rachel is…" Max passed an uncertain glance towards her, shaking her head slowly, "…dead. A teacher from my school killed her, or his 'protégé' did. Ultimately, it was his fault."

"I… didn't know," Violet managed, messing with the bracelet on her wrist, something Rachel had shown her how to make.

"Damn, that's… hard hitting stuff," Tabitha added, looking a little uncomfortable.

"Yeah, and we had the 'pleasure' of… finding her." Max averted her eyes, swallowing back tears as she grabbed onto Chloe's hand tighter, the memory of that rancid smell filling her senses. "Buried in a fucking junkyard of all places."

"That was supposed to be our safe haven from the world. She'd been missing for six months before… we found her," Chloe choked out, on the verge of tears.

Tabitha gave them a sad, sympathetic smile. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, she seemed like a decent chick from what I remember," Violet mentioned softly.

Managing to fight back her tears, the bluenette flashed a bittersweet smile. "She… was, complicated and stubborn as hell but… she helped me get through a tough time in my life."

"Complicated doesn't even begin to cover it," Max interjected softly. "She… had the same power we do, I think. In fact, we have it  _because_ she was murdered. I don't think she was supposed to die like that. Her power – well, part of it – passed on, once it found a viable host, aka. me."

"Dunno why I wasn't considered a 'viable host'," Chloe mumbled under her breath.

The begrudging comment actually made Max smile. "You almost sound jealous, Chloe. I don't think our powers are to be envied." With that thought, she turned to the two other girls. "I wonder if you heard about the storm that nuked that town in Oregon. Arcadia Bay."

"It's come up a few times," Tabitha revealed.

"The universe works in mysterious ways…" the brunette muttered to herself. "Well, I was there. I… let it destroy the town."

Violent couldn't help but frown. "Why?"

"Because of me," Chloe answered, voice laced with guilt. "Max's powers kickstarted because she saved me from getting shot. She kept saving me… even 'til the end."

Passing a glance her friend's way, Violet nodded. "Sounds familiar."

"The theory: people close to us were targeted so we would investigate – find the truth of what happened to Rachel in mine and Chloe's case – and figure out that we had to bring her back. Maybe my powers weren't strong enough or… I was supposed to find another way somehow…" Max finished her self-depreciative monologue with a defeated sigh.

"You couldn't know what you were supposed to do, Max," Chloe interrupted firmly, giving her hand a firm squeeze. "Nobody told you or gave you any instruction."

"Yeah…" Max didn't seem too convinced but she didn't have the energy to argue. "At the time, I thought it was all my fault. The storm was because of my powers – to an extent it was – but the main reason was… Rachel's death. It threw everything out of balance. Without someone to latch on to, that raw energy did the damage, made the storm. Most of it."

"So, in a way, you stopped it from getting worse," Violet reassured. "Without someone to play host, it would've gotten way worse, right?"

"Maybe…" Max conceded with a shrug.

"So, I'm guessing that's where Vi comes in. You need more power," Tabitha observed anxiously, uncertain what that reality might mean for her friend.

"Right." The brunette nodded at the teal-haired girl before turning to the shortest member of the group. "From what I've seen Violet, your power is more… controlled. Like, it only triggers with a catalyst, emotional distress or immense shock. When you  _really_ need it. Unlike mine, which I can use pretty much whenever. I suppose Rachel's presence or whoever guided the power to us learned from their mistakes: give a girl free run on a power like that without no instruction and she  _will_ use it how she wants."

"Max…" Chloe sighed, leaving her sentence hanging. She hated hearing her friend blame herself like this.

Ignoring it, Max pressed ahead. "If we don't do this, things will only get worse; a vicious cycle of chaos and destruction. We can't let that happen. We  _need_ to bring Rachel back. I don't know what will happen when we do this, though. I imagine our powers and memories of them will disappear. Permanently. Aside from that, who knows?"

By bringing Rachel back, Max knew she might not be with Chloe anymore, unfair since they only just realized they liked each other, but they had to do this. Otherwise, the universe might just self-destruct.

The newer time traveler looked between the two haggard girls, then at Tabitha – who took hold of her hand for reassurance; a sign that she would support Violet no matter what. "Well, it doesn't sound like we have much of a choice."

Shaking her head, Max looked her dead in the eyes. "There's always a choice, not always great ones, but you have to make a decision and own the consequences in the end."

Tabitha and Violet shared a look. No words, just one simple glance. They both knew what the other was thinking. Even if it meant giving up the progress they had made over the past few days, they needed to do this.

"Tell me what you need me to do," Violet replied, confident and composed.

Her assertiveness made Max smile. "Who's ready for a road trip?"

* * *

Later that day, the four girls piled into Chloe's pickup truck – Max and Chloe in the front with Violet and Tabitha in the cargo hold. They laid down both to be safer and not get pulled over. During the wait, Chloe had invested in a back canopy, which they could now use to shield them from any bad weather and hide them from view if necessary.

It took a few hours, Violet and Tabitha falling asleep curled up in a blanket Chloe had thrown in for them. Eventually, the made it to the destroyed town. Being back was… horrible for both Max and Chloe but necessary. They pulled up outside an abandoned warehouse in town, the location of the Vortex Club party Rachel had been to before she disappeared.

Getting out, all four girls entered the empty building. Finding a good spot, one Max seemed to be drawn to, they stood in a circle.

"I've only done this with a photo before, but… I'm sure I can jump back to when Rachel was here. You'll act like a power booster, Violet… I think," Max revealed hesitantly.

"You… think?" Violet questioned, a little nervous now.

"I don't know anything for sure," the brunette admitted truthfully. "Although, I am like sixty percent sure… maybe fifty. Uh, I can't explain it but… I just feel like I can do this."

Maybe Rachel really was still guiding her. And with Violet around, she felt… stronger already. She must have the rest of Rachel's power, the safety trigger and aiming sight so to speak. All grabbing hands, Max closed her eyes and focused on the moment in time she wanted to travel back to. She could feel the power flow through her, much more precise and not in the least bit painful. It was almost laughable how much easier the rewind was with Violet around.

Pushing that thought aside, she let the streams of time flow around her, locating the thread she wanted. Latching onto it, she transported them back several months. When they reached their destination, Max gently let go. Their surroundings had drastically changed, the room plunged into darkness only penetrated by intermittent strobe lights. A loud beat pulsated through their bodies, shaking the building. Right now, they were hidden behind some transport boxes stashed in the corner, out of sight behind a curtain.

Letting go, Max instructed the others to stay put while she went to find Rachel. In the sea of writhing bodies, it should be next to impossible. Except the young brunette felt drawn to the once missing girl's presence. She found her in the throng, dancing away. Waiting for the right moment, when the blonde went to get a drink, Max followed her.

Once she got close enough, she called out to the girl. "Rachel."

"Hmm… do I know you? If not, such a terrible loss on my part," Rachel smirked, eyeing Max up and down.

Before the girl could say another word, Max took her by the wrist and dragged her over to the exit so they could be heard. "Listen to me. I know what you can do. I can do it too. The only reason I can do it is because you… you're going to die."

That made Rachel chuckle. "Calm down, love. You're probably just having a bad trip."

"I can rewind time, Rachel Amber. Just like you," Max insisted, dead serious.

Rachel's hazel eyes narrowed, searching. "Let's say I believe you. Why do you care if I live or die? You don't even know me."

"I've traveled back this far to make sure you stay alive, or a huge fucking tornado is going to destroy Arcadia Bay and kill so many people. And god knows what else. Mark Jefferson is the one who kills you, well Nathan because that fucker manipulated him." Max fished out the photo Violet had given back to Chloe, showing her the message on the back. "That's your handwriting, right? You've been guiding us back here, back to save you."

"I… didn't write that but…" Rachel stared at the message, frowning, "…it does look like my handwriting…"

"If you aren't careful, history will repeat itself," Max warned. As much as she wanted to find and  _kill_ Mark Jefferson for what he had done, something inside told her that Rachel had to save herself. Anyone else interfering with that point in time would solve nothing. "And one last thing, about Chloe…"

Rachel's eyes flickered with recognition. "Wait, are you… Max? Chloe's childhood friend? I've seen pictures and the likeness is… uncanny."

"Yes, not that it matters," Max interrupted, not having time for small revelations. "I don't know if you love her or not, but I  _do_ , so you'd better take  _damn_ good care of her from now on. Don't you  _dare_ fuck her around this time, okay." Her voice broke at the end, holding back tears. This was so unfair… all she wanted was to remain by Chloe's side.

After some time, Rachel sighed and nodded. "I… thank you, Max. I'm… sorry for whatever trouble I've caused, really. I won't let that bastard get me this time, promise. And… I'll make sure Chloe's looked after."

Nodding, Max returned to the other three girls and got ready to travel back to Arcadia, awaiting the change which would happen now. They could only hope. "It's done. Let's head back."

Before they left, Chloe pulled her to one side, away from the crowds. Tabitha and Violet watched them leave, exchanging glances. It was clear those two cared for once another, just like they did.

The teal-haired girl leaned in to be heard. "So… I guess this is it, huh? No more rewind fun."

"We'll have other kinds of fun, promise. And maybe this time  _I'll_ be the one who has the guts to make the first move," Violet replied with a grin, knowing that probably wouldn't happen.

"You'd better. I can't do  _all_ the work," Tabitha smirked, giving her old friend a tight hug. "We've got to this point once. We'll do it again."

They both hoped for that more than anything, sharing a kiss to seal the deal.

Eventually, Chloe and Max found a quieter spot, the bluenette looking very anxious all of a sudden. "Max… whatever happens next, just know that I…" She seemed to be struggling with her words, averting her eyes, "…I love you, okay. Even if we'll forget I ever said that, I mean it."

"I love you, too, Chloe Price," Max managed, giving the older girl a hug and a tender kiss. "No matter what happens, I always will."

"We just have to hope that somehow, our other selves figure it out, huh?" Chloe chuckled weakly, going in for a longer kiss. She didn't want to lose this feeling but… what else could she do?

Despite Max's power, they had run out of time.

* * *

**Epilogue**

**7** **th** **March 2010 – Seattle**

School was over for the day, much to Max Caulfield's relief. Eager to get home, she stuffed her possession into her bag and all but ran out of the classroom. Transferring everything she didn't need to her locker, she began the walk home. It usually only took around fifteen to twenty minutes. Her parents did offer to pick her up, but she liked the alone time to think.

Lost in deep thought and music, she headed out of the school grounds and along the path leading to her house. Most days, she walked past the park about halfway along her journey. Today, she did and sat down on one of the benches along the path. Joggers and dog walkers passed her by, a few older kids using the small skater ramps and younger ones at the swings. Taking her headphones out for the moment, she listened to the sound of nature and people around her.

March was always a bad time for Max… all because of Chloe Price. Well, not  _because_ of her per say. She wasn't to blame or anything. It just reminded the brunette of how shit a friend she had been – overwhelming guilt. Almost two years ago now, William Price had died and the Caulfield family left for Seattle. It was also nearly two years since Max had spoken to Chloe, too scared and selfish to get in touch.

If only she could turn back time…

"Why so sad little lady?" a young voice called out to her, breaking her from her thought.

"Huh? Who…?" When Max lifted her head, she saw a pretty blonde teen girl with hazel staring back.

"I'm Rachel," the blonde greeted, sitting down on the bench beside her. "You?"

"Uh, Max," the brunette replied, confused. Not many people just started talking to her; she usually kept to herself. This girl, though… she seemed vaguely familiar somehow. Maybe from school?

"You seem down. What's up?" Rachel pressed with a sympathetic smile, coaxing.

"I…" For some reason, she  _wanted_ to tell Rachel what was bothering her. "It's my best friend's birthday soon. I haven't spoken to her in two years now. We… parted on bad terms. Like a week after her dad died, my family moved here and… I should've contacted her right away…"

The blonde girl nodded, deep in thought. "You know, it's never too late to get in touch."

As much as Max wanted to believe that, she just couldn't. "I dunno, she probably hates me now…"

"I don't think so," Rachel replied confidently. "Yes, she might be mad at you to begin with since she's hurting, but she needs you. And from the looks of it, you need her just as much."

That much was true. Max missed her so damn much. "What do I even say, though?"

"How you feel," the blonde answered simply with a shrug. "That's all you can say. I'm sure she'll listen eventually. You've just gotta keep trying. My advice, give her a call or drop a text, whatever. Something to let her know that you're thinking about her and want to try and patch things up. Then, let her decide what she wants to do and feel about it instead of making that decision for her. Just give her time and don't give up too easily."

Closing her eyes, Max sighed and nodded. That it took a stranger for her to figure it out was kinda embarrassing. "I… yeah, you're right. If I don't try, I'll regret it."

She turned to thank the blonde, finding her gone. Like she'd disappeared into thin air. Who was that girl? Where did she go and when? Had she been real or a figment of Max's imagination? All the questions merged together in one big ball of confusion.

Ignoring the strange meeting for now, Max got to her feet and continued home. Her parents would get worried if she was late… and she had a few things to organize.

* * *

 **11** **th** **March 2013 – Arcadia Bay**

Another birthday had come around for Chloe Price. Not that she even cared at this point. There was very little worth celebrating. Just another year of bitter resentment to live through. Before, today used to be one of her favorite days, when her father was alive and her best friend Max was here. Two years ago, everything changed.

No more relaxing day filled with cake, presents, and love. Instead, dipped in shit – hostility to the max thanks to David and arguments, resulting in her storming out of the house with her tail between her legs. If anything, this day was worse because her mom insisted they all have a 'family' meal. The usual equilibrium – Chloe staying out of David's way as much as possible – was thrown off balance. Such a deluded fantasy. Hardly the definition of fun.

Sighing, she prayed the day would go by quickly so she could just go back to hiding away in her room forever. If she didn't get up soon, her mom might end up yelling at her. Or David would… Reluctantly, she dragged herself out of bed and slumped downstairs. At least she might get a nice breakfast before the chaos started. If the smell wafting through the house was anything to go by.

Joyce was in the kitchen, busy making pancakes. When she heard Chloe, she gave her a tired smile. "Mornin' Chloe."

Looking around, confirming the coast was clear of David for now, she visibly relaxed. "Hey, mom."

She sat at the table, hoping that she could scarf down enough pancakes  _before_ David put in an appearance. No doubt, he would be down soon… Just as the mild dread began building, there was a knock at the door.

"Chloe, can you go get that, please?" Joyce called back from the kitchen, busy making breakfast.

"Fine," the young girl sighed melodramatically, getting up from the table and shuffling over to the door.

Probably the post or someone wanting money, the latter more likely. Just another shitty person to add to an already shitty day. Preparing her best snarky wit, she yanked the door open ready to tear into the asshole waiting on the other side. All biting sarcasm went out of the window when she saw just who was standing there.

A young girl: average height, pale and freckled, thin, brunette, blue eyes… familiar. When she heard the door creak open, the girl gave her a sheepish smile. "Hey, Chloe. Uh, happy birthday."

* * *

 **27** **th** **October 2013 – Forest**

Two girls were sitting in the forest, picking at a modest birthday picnic joking away like the old friends they were. The younger, teal-haired girl was turning eighteen today. After getting her gift – a handmade friendship bracelet – her friend helped her put it on.

"Think of all the things you can legally do now you're eighteen," Violet added with a smirk.

Knowing what her friend was thinking without even having to ask, Tabitha shook her head. "I wonder which of those you're most fixated on…"

"How dare you imply such a thing!" Violet exclaimed, shoving her best friend's shoulder with playful indignance, "...however true it might be."

Not taking the bait, Tabitha nudged her friend with her foot. "I plan to spend my birthday the same as I do each year… chilling with my best friend."

"You are just too cute sometimes, Tabs. No, make that  _all_ the time," Violet corrected, really pushing. It felt a little harder than usual, maybe…

"Aw shucks, you'll make me blush." As much as she tried to pass it off as a joke, Tabitha did find herself blushing despite her best efforts.

Violet motioned for her to get closer, snapping a quick picture of the two of them to commemorate the day; the first of many.

"Maybe that's the point, ever considered that?" Violet posed with a broad, toothy grin, happy with the picture she had taken.

The other girl nodded knowingly. "I figured as much. You always did love teasing me."

"What if… it wasn't just teasing?" the other girl asked softly, her question uncharacteristically hesitant, almost too quiet to hear.

"Well, if it wasn't just teasing, I might be kinda happy," Tabitha replied with a slight grin. "You know, since it's my birthday and all I  _should_ get a special birthday request. And I think you should decide what I get."

That made Violet frown. "How am I supposed to know what you want?"

"Oh, come on, Vi, you know me well enough by now to have a good idea. So… what'll it be?" the younger girl asked, making her intentions clear in her tone and body language.

Hoping she was reading the atmosphere right, Violet steadied her resolve. She put a hand over her best friend's, looking her straight in the eyes. When Tabitha didn't pull away, smiled even, the older girl leaned in to give a hesitant kiss. Her head was spinning, especially when her teal-haired friend kissed her back. It didn't last long, just a few seconds, but that one small moment would change their friendship.

"Ding, ding. We have a winner," Tabitha teased lightly as they broke the kiss, unable to keep the light blush from her cheeks.

Violet didn't say anything, just rolling her eyes and laying back down on the blanket. Her friend joined her, casually interlocking their hands as they stared up through the tree canopy hanging overhead.

Somehow, it felt like this moment had been a long time coming, much longer than it was supposed to…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An exclusive club of time traveling lesbians? Sign me the hell up!
> 
> On a more serious note, Max now takes Rachel's place in Chloe's life – and eventually get together once they've sorted through some of their issues. Her gentle nudge to Max regarding Chloe was a kinda thanks for saving her ass. Rachel and Chloe still meet, but the blonde takes a back seat.
> 
> No rewind, no storm and no Dark Room (since Rachel will take care of Jefferson – thanks to Max's warning). As for Tabitha and Violet, their lives continue as usual, minus the weird time stuff and a better-timed kiss/confession :)
> 
> So, thanks for reading. And who knows, maybe there will be a sequel in the future, once I've gotten all my other stuff organized, filled with fluff and relationship stuff.
> 
> Rough Timeline:
> 
> Sat 26th Oct – Max/Chloe arrive at Rosewood Academy, when the prologue starts.
> 
> Sun 27th Oct – Tabitha gets shot and Violet rewinds. Meet up with Eric later who mentions Leyla is missing. Max/Chloe locate the lumber mill.
> 
> Mon 28th Oct – Tabs/Vi meet up with Eric at the Jackalope, plan to get Heidi's phone or something. Go to the building site and Vi gets beaten up by Heidi.
> 
> Tues 29th Oct – Tabs/Vi break into Heidi's room. Max/Chloe plant the picture of Rachel with 'Rachel in the Dark Room' scribbled on the back (from Chloe's wallet) and note at the lumber mill.
> 
> Wed 30th Oct – Tabs/Vi go to the lumber mill and find the note from Max, as well as finally finding Leyla
> 
> Thursday 31st Oct – Tabs/Vi return to forest and meet up with Max/Chloe

**Author's Note:**

> Bet you were thinking Tabitha was gonna be the one with powers at the start, huh? ;) Just to clarify, I picture Tabitha as Japanese-American and Violet as African-American in descent (both several generations in). This will draw inspiration from the first season, of course, but there will be a different cast and storyline… well, for the most part ;) but enough of that for now.
> 
> Have a great day and see you next time.


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